Brandon Morrow lasted 1.2 innings against the Red Sox this afternoon, and threw 67 pitches. 32 of them were strikes. He walked five Sox in the second inning and went 3-1 on David Ortiz before allowing a line drive single that knocked him from the game.
Morrow on the year:
7 starts
35 innings
29 BB + HBP
46 K
4 HR
71.9% contact
Among guys with at least 20 innings pitched, Morrow's contact rate ranks third-best in the league. And he's still running an FIP in the mid-4's, because he has all the location of a dart in a hurricane.
Strikeouts are great. Sexy, even. There's not a Mariners fan in the world that doesn't miss Morrow's ability to miss bats and spin a dazzling curve. But remember the bad times. You have to remember the bad times. Brandon Morrow may one day develop into a shutdown #1, but until he does, he's a tease. An obnoxious, unwatchable tease.
Morrow was relived in the second inning by Josh Roenicke. Roenicke promptly walked Adrian Beltre on four pitches.