News
Morton ready to pitch past rough outing
Pittsburgh (49-70) vs. Cincinnati (51-69), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com
08/19/09 10:02 PM ET
PITTSBURGH -- It was accurately described afterward as embarrassing and nightmarish. Now, all that Charlie Morton hopes is that it can also be labeled as an anomaly. Of course, it was Morton's disastrous start last Friday that he was referencing on Wednesday when he spoke about wanting nothing more right now than the opportunity to get back on the mound. Morton will do so on Friday when the Pirates open up a three-game series against the Reds. He'll take the mound exactly one week after exiting it with no outs in the second inning against the Cubs. By that point, Morton had already allowed eight runs on seven hits and three walks. Another two of his runners would score soon after. The 10 earned runs allowed in one inning would be a first for a Pirates pitcher since at least 1954. "I know it probably sounds weird, but it's one of those things where you really have to shake it off and look forward to getting back on the mound," Morton said while discussing his upcoming start. "The most important thing is just being able to get back out there." Was there anything that he learned from the humbling outing? "Well, just the experience," Morton answered. "It was laughable what happened. I'm just trying to take what I can. There's nothing better than just getting back on the mound." Morton was initially scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, which would have been a normal four days of rest. However, a rainout and Thursday's off-day pushed Morton's 12th start of the season back to Friday. As a result, the right-hander threw two side sessions -- one in Chicago, one in Pittsburgh -- instead of the normal one. He reported feeling fine mechanically and mentally during his bullpen sessions, which focused heavily on simple command of pitches. "I just need to be aggressive when I get out there," Morton said of this next start. "It's really not that complicated. It's just executing. That's the biggest thing." Pitching matchupPIT: RHP Charlie Morton (2-6, 5.51 ERA)
Morton's problems were evident early in his last outing; he fell behind consistently and never established his fastball command, a priority he had set coming into the start. He continues to show deceptive movement on his pitches, but without the command to go with it, that movement has proved to be as troublesome as it has been beneficial. CIN: RHP Micah Owings (6-11, 5.35 ERA)
Owings takes the place of Johnny Cueto in the rotation after Cueto was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. Owings, himself, is coming off the DL. He was placed on the DL on July 27 with right shoulder tightness and has since made two rehab starts for Triple-A Louisville. In those two starts, Owings has a 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. He did walk seven, though. Bucs bits
The Pirates have promoted right-hander Jeff Sues from Double-A to Triple-A. Sues, who is on the team's 40-man roster, made 40 appearances for Altoona earlier this year. He finished 2-6 with a 4.46 ERA. ... Lefty Donnie Veal (sprained left index finger) made his first rehab start with Altoona on Tuesday. Veal pitched two scoreless innings, walked one and struck out three. ... Left-hander Phil Dumatrait threw two scoreless innings in his final rehab relief appearance for Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday. He didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one. Dumatrait's 30-day rehab assignment has come to an end, though the Pirates have not yet determined whether he'll be added to the Major League roster this weekend. Tickets
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• Saturday: Pirates (Zach Duke, 9-11, 3.42) vs. Reds (Justin Lehr, 2-0, 2.42), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Pirates (Kevin Hart, 4-2, 4.00) vs. Reds (Homer Bailey, 2-4, 7.53), 1:35 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day
Jenifer Langosch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
