What

by Jeff on Jun 14, 2009 11:58 AM PDT in Bad News Comment 49 comments

The never-ending saga of Brandon Morrow has taken another twist. The Mariners now appear inclined to continue his transition into a starter while having him remain in the majors -- and, for now, in the rotation.

Fresh off Morrow's struggling start Saturday, in which he walked four in three innings (but, in fairness, struck out four and gave up just one run), manager Don Wakamatsu just told us that Morrow will start Thursday's game in San Diego.

This is from last Wednesday:

Just got done talking with Brandon Morrow, who confirmed what's been known internally within the team for some time. He's off to Class AAA Tacoma to work on becoming a starting pitcher again as soon as the Mariners can call up pitcher Roy Corcoran from his injury rehab assignment. Might happen this week.

"It's going to be the long road this time,'' he said. "Last year, it was the month in AAA and everybody knew I was coming back.''

Four days after saying that, Morrow's penciled in for his second big league start in a row.

I get that Washburn's back is stiff. I get that they don't think RRS is ready yet. I get that Wakamatsu is a fan of Morrow's stuff. But for heaven's sake, just give Jakubauskas the start and let Morrow start learning in a more appropriate environment. This on-the-job training strategy just doesn't at all strike me as the right thing to be doing, certainly not with the team still trying for the playoffs.

How hard is it to just do what you said you would do?

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There isn't a word I can find for this, so...

~The Official LookoutLanding Poster Who Dreams Of Doing Naughty Naughty Things To Russell Branyan~

by section331 on Jun 14, 2009 12:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well I guess the honeymoon is over

by Poochie on Jun 14, 2009 12:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

They are nuts, as this makes no sense.

Give Morrow the time he needs in Tacoma. There are plenty of pitchers who can start without getting ruined.

by Sinking Away on Jun 14, 2009 12:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

A sad and interesting post topic: The Mismanagement of Brandon Morrow

You guys have watched him closely since the beginning, and from what I remember, always argued that he should learn to be a starter. And since he clearly has a LOT of learning to do, that education should occur in the minors. The contrary arguments/assertions by the M Brain Trust over the years might be fun to examine, and weirdly, even with a better Brain Trust in place, the mismanagement seems to have accelerated! I imagine your post as important reminder of the ultimate absurdity of the universe as a whole.

by flightrisk on Jun 14, 2009 12:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I want to see him starting agian but not now.

His start yesterday was not that great and it worries me that he will get crushed sometime soon. They need to put him down to the minors just like you said.

by Kirkharbaugh on Jun 14, 2009 12:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Didn't Morrow comment about how he really hated the idea of

going to the minors way back at the beginning of the season? Apparently, he really really hates it.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Jun 14, 2009 12:41 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Statement of mild disagreement and an appeal to authority in this space

by lemonverbena on Jun 14, 2009 12:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Goodness...

My Mariners blog - SodoMojo Twitter Feed

by gregrabble on Jun 14, 2009 12:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This makes me think of the survey done on rookie quarterbacks starting or learning on the bench

in that, I wonder if Morrow is capable of being a starter, he will become one, and if he is not, it doesn’t matter how he’s developed.

by John Morgan on Jun 14, 2009 1:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The M's still need to believe that the best thing for Morrow is allowing him to work on his game in a place where the results don't really matter.

It’s not fair to Morrow to ask him to both try to get better and simultaneously worry about the outcome.

by abender20 on Jun 14, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The difference is that Morrow still needs further development to become capable of being a starter

Development he probably can only get in AAA, which they’re depriving him of, thus setting him up for failure.

by OlSalty on Jun 14, 2009 2:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This I believe is exactly right.

If not being consciously set up for failing, this is certainly a way to lose any confidence he might have.

by Sinking Away on Jun 14, 2009 7:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This has tragedy written all over it. It can't end well.

by royalcurve on Jun 14, 2009 1:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

For Brandon's sake I hope he is traded to a team who will do what is best for him.

by jimmylauderdale on Jun 14, 2009 2:10 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Annnnnd here we go again

by OlSalty on Jun 14, 2009 2:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

So wait

Who is he starting for?

by Snowman1025 on Jun 14, 2009 2:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Eh, whatever.

by ThundaPC on Jun 14, 2009 2:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm not to worried about it.

It seems like he’ll still be going down to AAA, just later. It’s stupid that they’re giving him one more start here, but I don’t think it’s going to affect him in the long term if it’s just one more.

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A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Jun 14, 2009 2:39 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wat

Sorry, dead meme, and 4chan speak is frowned upon here… but it’s the only expression I have to answer to this news

Formerly Mariners124M... Username was sorta bland, so I'm changin it up

by BQueezy on Jun 14, 2009 3:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm with Bill Krueger on this one.

In all honesty it is a brilliant move.

"Where's my doctor?"

by mw3 on Jun 14, 2009 3:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

If you're agreeing with Krueger, you're wrong.

by Graham on Jun 14, 2009 3:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is a very convenient way to tell if you are right or wrong!

by Gihyou on Jun 14, 2009 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is this "brilliant" in the Guinness commercial sense?

“I’ve discovered that if you throw the pitch where the catcher puts his glove, the opposing batter is less likely to walk!”
“BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT!”

by eponymous_coward on Jun 14, 2009 3:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So, they've basically thrown in the towel on the season?

This is the only way I can read it.

Then again, considering that Zduriencik and Wakamatsu thought that the best way for Brandon Morrow to have extended spring training after not getting much work in March and April was to have him close in the majors, having Morrow learn how to throw his secondary pitches at the MLB level is par for the course.

by eponymous_coward on Jun 14, 2009 3:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Tanking for Harper?

by Graham on Jun 14, 2009 3:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

There is a lot of ground to cover... But it can be done!

by jimmylauderdale on Jun 14, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Last year's team was much better at losing in the clutch, and even THEY couldn't close the deal.

by eponymous_coward on Jun 14, 2009 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As far as we know, Stephen Strasburg's legs are the same length and he hasn't had elbow surgery yet

by seattlebruin on Jun 15, 2009 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As long as we were playing the wishful thinking game, I figured I'd join in.

Also, there’s a non-zero chance that Ackley is similarly valuable to Strasburg. Mariners with the number one pick next year? Even the most pessimistic (or optimistic, depending on how you view things) Seattle fan can’t have too much faith in that happening.

by abender20 on Jun 15, 2009 10:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs