WASHINGTON -- Charlie Morton’s career has never been a study in predictability, but even so, this was surprising.
Morton, brilliant in four of his first five starts, couldn’t escape the first inning in a 9-2 loss to the Nationals on Sunday. Washington scored all of its runs off Morton, who lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowing eight hits, a walk and home runs by Bryce Harper and Yunel Escobar. His ERA burst from 1.62 to 3.97.
“I felt good,” Morton said of his pregame bullpen session. “My stuff was fine. The good pitches I made, they hit them. The bad pitches I made, they hit them. That’s embarrassing.”
Believe it or not, there was good news: Morton’s appearance, dismal as it was, didn’t resemble that final exhibition outing in Philadelphia in any fashion. Morton was completely lost that night, as he has stated repeatedly.
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