Brandon Morrow Is Off To Tacoma

Busy day on Twitter. Both Baker and Drayer have confirmed it, and nothing more. I imagine this is to make room for Hannahan.

Update: here's a bunch more information.

Drayer:

According to Don [the reason behind the demotion] is to improve his breaking ball and to change speeds better. It also means to think more like a starting pitcher and to have the presence and command on the mound to take his game into his own hands.

When asked last night why he did not throw his curve, Morrow answered, because it was not called or he did not shake to it. I asked Kenji why he did not call it and he told me because Morrow did not get ahead in the count enough to throw it. Kenji sees it now as an out pitch, and as Brandon gets more confidence in it, it can turn into a pitch he starts hitters out with. As for not shaking to it, Wak puts the responsibility on the pitcher in that situation.

LaRue, article:

The answer may lie in Morrow’s off-speed pitches and his ability to throw them for strikes. Against Texas, however, his change-up was in-and-out – and he never threw a curve.

“He felt like he just didn’t have a feel for it. He felt like it just spun out of his hand,” Wakamatsu said. “When he throws a good one, it’s an awfully good pitch. If he can harness that, I think you’re going to see a more complete pitcher.”

LaRue, blog:

"We don't need a fifth starter after the break until July 25," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "We fan slide Garrett Olson into the rotation after the break until we make any other decision.

"We're sending Brandon out with specific goals, to improve his secondary pitches and continue to work on pitch efficiency. As I told him a few minutes ago, he's a big part of our close future. We stretched him out up here, he worked with (pitching coach) Rick Adair. Now he's got a definitive plan to work on."

So much for that talk about Morrow's present value the other day. I definitely support the team's decision, here, and I'm ecstatic that they finally - finally - seem committed to getting him some real work in the minors, but last night's start was disappointing, due to both the implications for Morrow and the implications for the season. Having Morrow build off of his Boston start would've been of great help, but now we'll have to be patient and hope that Olson can step up in his place.

I think what's most exciting is that Brandon's probably going to put a lot of work into developing his curveball. Remember this? We've barely seen that pitch all season long, and if he can come back from Tacoma later on with that firmly being part of his arsenal, then that's going to be awesome. Obviously I'd like to see him improve all of his pitches, but when it's working his curve might be my favorite pitch in baseball, and I don't know what I'd do if I never got to see it again.

So long, Brandon Morrow. I'm sure this probably sucks, but if you work hard enough in AAA, you'll be better because of it, and you'll earn your way back in short order. I wish you all the best. Make us proud.