Phillies hold off Yankees in Charlie Morton's debut
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Charlie Morton settled on his theory in 2011. It is really common sense, the righthander says. Yes, a smaller ballpark - like the one Morton will pitch in this season - provides batters an easier opportunity to hit a home run. But the shorter fences leave less outfield territory for a fielder to cover. That, Morton said, moves the advantage to the pitcher as long as he is able to force a batter into weak contact.
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CLEARWATER, Fla. - Charlie Morton settled on his theory in 2011. It is really common sense, the righthander says.
Yes, a smaller ballpark - like the one Morton will pitch in this season - provides batters an easier opportunity to hit a home run. But the shorter fences leave less outfield territory for a fielder to cover. That, Morton said, moves the advantage to the pitcher as long as he is able to force a batter into weak contact.
Morton, who started a 6-5 win over the Yankees on Sunday at Bright House Field, said his key for finding weak contact is to pitch inside. He will pitch high and inside to a lefthander and low and inside to a righthander. Morton wants a batter to have to fight off a pitch without a sweet swing.
"If I can keep the ball off the barrel, I think that would be the short answer," Morton said. "Keep the ball off the barrel and get weak contact. Either cut it, sink it in, you know. Stay on the corners."
Morton pitched 21/3 innings on Sunday in his first start this spring after being acquired via a December trade. He walked one batter, struck out another, and allowed one run, which scored after he was lifted in the third inning. Morton was the first Phillies pitcher this spring to reach the third inning.
Morton threw 47 pitches, 32 of which were strikes. And he also found weak contact. Morton forced four groundouts and an easy fly ball. His lone hit allowed was a ground-ball single to left field. Only four starting pitchers since 2011 have induced a higher percentage of ground balls than Morton.
"Last year, I came into camp and guys were hitting the ball in the air a lot, and to deep outfield," Morton said. "And it was kind of discouraging. Because one thing I do very well is keep the ball on the ground when things are going well. So that's kind of indicative of where I'm at if the balls are on the ground."
Morton's success with ground balls started in 2011, when the Pittsburgh Pirates instructed him to lower the arm slot of his delivery. His sinker started to take shape and his nickname - "Ground Chuck" - was born. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said the pitch is outstanding. It works best when Morton is able to keep it low in the zone and it plays a vital role in his search for weak contact.
Morton will make the majority of his starts this season at Citizens Bank Park, which averaged the sixth-highest total of home runs per game last season. The pitcher's theory will be put to the test. Morton will search for weak contact as he reminds himself that a shorter fence creates less space in the outfield for hits to fall in.
"It just seems to me that if you can keep the ball in the park and just induce ground balls and weak contact, then that really gives the team a chance to make a play," Morton said.
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