The Blue Jays' Brandon Morrow has been shut down for the year, but what a year it was.
With Hurricane Earl barreling up the East Coast on Friday, Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow threw the final 71 pitches of his mostly successful 2010 season.
Unfortunately for the 26-year old right-hander they all took place within a three inning window. It became painfully apparent that he had nothing.
He walked the first two batters he faced, while 10 of his first 11 pitches failed to find the strike zone. Maybe they were right to shutdown their possible future ace one start into September? After all, his innings total heading into the start - 143.1 - was already more than he had ever thrown in a single season. Since this was the first season in which Morrow spent the entire year as a Major League starter, he was on a shorter leash than the rest of the staff.
It sure would have been nice if his final memories of the season were a little more positive, although his body of work provided far more highs than lows.
Initially, only those in the know could have seen just how much promise the power pitcher had. Through his first seven starts of the season, he was as wild as any pitcher in the Majors. Most forgettable was a May 10th start at Fenway Park where Morrow last just 1.2 innings, faced only 14 hitters, nine of whom reached. When Cito Gaston finally put him out of his misery, Morrow had thrown 67 pitches and couldn't get out of the second. Following the loss, his record fell to 2-3 with his ERA rising to a bloated 6.69.
Fellow starter Shaun Marcum, though, had noticed a flaw in Morrow's motion over his previous start in Cleveland. That start had also been a walk-filled short outing. Marcum passed along the info to the pitcher and coach Bruce Walton. Adjustments were made, most importantly to a collapsing back leg and a slight lowering of the arm slot, and the changing results were dramatic.
Friday's loss to the Yankees was Morrow's first since late June. In between those two setbacks, he won five times, averaging slightly more than two walks per start and was striking out 12.5 hitters per nine. Most memorable was a pair of starts at the Rogers Centre: August 8th against the Rays where he struck out 17 and came within one out of a no-hitter, and two starts later when he struck out 12 in just six innings against the Yankees. Not since Roger Clemens had Toronto fans seen a power pitcher of Morrow's ilk.
That's what makes his final start of the season all the more troubling. Clearly, Morrow has the stuff to be the ace of the Blue Jays' evolving staff moving forward. He came out flat and unemotional, with his fastball, which is usually clocked in the high 90's, topping out at 89. But we shouldn't be shocked by that. For the most part, Morrow was a far better and effective starter at home than on the road. The statistics confirm this:
At home, Morrow shines with an 8-1 record and a 2.74 ERA, holding opponents to a .221 AVG. Once he puts on the road jersey however, his record falls to 2-6 with a 6.72 ERA and hitters roughing him up at a .281 clip.
Obviously, Morrow was a different pitcher at home than on the road. One theory has that being a diabetic might have come into play here (better eating habits and rest at home than in road hotels). But there is such a wide chasm between the two sets of numbers to wonder why.
In the end, Brandon Morrow showed a lot of promise this season. Just the type of promise that should make all long-suffering Blue Jays fans believe that brighter days, with him leading the way from atop the rotation, lay ahead.
