Brandon Morrow switching roles … again

By Jun 10, 2009, 12:46 PM EDT
0 Comments

I’ve been impressed with the Mariners’ new regime, as first-year
general manager Jack Zduriencik and company have made some nice moves
at the margins of the roster–focusing primarily on low-cost free
agents and improving the defense–without overhauling things
completely.

The team is 28-30 after losing 101 games last season, but one of my
few criticisms of the Zduriencik front office so far was the decision
to convert Brandon Morrow into a full-time reliever at the age of 24.
However, it sounds like those plans have now been scrapped.

After struggling in the closer role and eventually giving way to David
Aardsma in the ninth inning, Morrow reportedly approached the Mariners
recently about becoming a starter again and the new plan is for the
former University of California ace to build up arm strength back at
Triple-A.

Morrow has started just 15 total games between the majors and minors
since the Mariners made him the fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft,
so he figures to be at Triple-A for a while. However, ultimately giving
a young pitcher with outstanding raw stuff the opportunity to sink or
swim in a 200-inning role before moving him to a 70-inning role is
almost always the right call (see: Chamberlain, Joba).

Through his first 121 appearances, 116 of which have come out of the
bullpen, Morrow has a 4.06 ERA, 161/98 K/BB ratio, and .216 opponents’
batting average in 146 innings. It remains to be seen whether his shaky
control will be any less of a problem working every fifth day for
80-100 pitches rather than every 2-3 days for 15-30 pitches, but it
certainly makes sense to find out.

Assuming that he doesn’t change his mind again next week, of course.

Ohtani homers twice, including career longest at 459 feet, Angels beat White Sox 12-5

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 12:48 AM EDT
Getty Images
0 Comments

CHICAGO (AP) Shohei Ohtani homered in consecutive innings, including a 459-foot drive that was the longest of his Major League Baseball career, and drove in four runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels over the Chicago White Sox 12-5 Wednesday.

Mike Trout put the Angels ahead 2-0 with a 476-foot home run in the first that was four rows shy of clearing the left field bleachers. Taylor Ward also went deep as the Angels hit four two-run homers plus a solo shot.

“Those are the guys you lean on,” manager Phil Nevin said. “They can certainly put the team on their backs and carry us and that’s what they did today.”

Ohtani drove a first-pitch fastball from Lance Lynn (4-6) just to left of straightaway center in the third, where the ball was dropped by a fan who tried to glove it. That 425-foot drive put the Angels ahead 4-1.

Lynn didn’t even bother to turn and look when Ohtani hit a full count fastball more than a dozen rows over the bullpen in right-center in the fourth. The two-way Japanese star is batting .269 with 15 homers and 38 RBIs to go along with a 5-1 record and 2.91 ERA.

“I’m feeling good right now,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I’m putting good swings on pitches I should be hitting hard.”

Ohtani increased his career total to 13 multihomer games with his first this season.

Trout pulled a hanging curve for his 13th home run. Ward hit a two-run homer against Jesse Scholtens in the seventh and Chad Wallach, pinch hitting for Ohtani, had a solo homer in the ninth off Garrett Crochet.

“Usually when that happens, we’re in a good spot to win,” Trout said.

Trout and Ohtani have homered in the same game for the fifth time this season. The Angels hit a pair of 450-foot or more home runs in the same game for the first time since Statcast started tracking in 2015.

Lynn allowed eight runs, eight hits and two walks while hitting two batters in four innings, raising his ERA to 6.55. He has given up 15 home runs, one short of the major league high of Kansas City’s Jordan Lyles. Lynn had won his previous three starts.

“It seemed like he didn’t get away with any today,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “Just one of those days, man.”

Jaime Barria (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in five innings with six strikeouts and two walks.

Los Angeles won two of three from the White Sox after being swept by Miami last weekend.

Jake Burger homered for Chicago, which has lost four of five. Burger hit his 11th homer in the ninth and Hanser Alberto had a two run double off Tucker Davidson.

Chicago’s Romy Gonzalez, who’d homered in three straight games, went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

THE NATURALS

Twenty-three people became naturalized U.S. citizens during a pregame swearing-in behind home plate.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Angels: Trout fouled a pitch off his right leg in the fourth but remained in the game.

White Sox: INF Elvis Andrus (strained left oblique) and RHP Mike Clevinger (right wrist inflammation) are close to returning but Grifol wouldn’t elaborate on either player’s status.

UP NEXT

Angels: Reid Detmers (0-4, 4.93) starts Thursday’s series opener at Houston against fellow LHP Framber Valdez (5-4, 2.38).

White Sox: Have not announced a starter for Friday’s series opener against visiting Detroit, which starts RHP Reese Olson in his major league debut. Olson is 2-3 with a 6.38 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Toledo.

—

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports