Braves' Charlie Morton: Collects quality start Saturday
Rotowire
Morton came away with a no-decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.
The matinee of the twin bill saw a pitchers' duel between two veteran right-handers, as both Morton and Kyle Gibson recorded one-run quality starts in an eventual 3-2 extra-inning win for Atlanta. Morton's quality start was his eighth of the year, but the 40-year-old isn't racking up the Ks like he used to -- he's fanned five batters or less in four of his last five starts, managing a 3.94 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings during that stretch. He lines up to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week against the Mets.
Braves' Charlie Morton: Allows two homers in no-decision
Rotowire
Morton did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing four runs on five hits over 6.1 innings while striking out five.
Most of the damage against Morton came in the second and third innings when the veteran surrendered home runs to Eugenio Suarez and Ketel Marte. The right-hander would then cruise through the next three frames before being relieved by Pierce Johnson with one out in the seventh, though a fourth run ended up being charged to Morton's ledger. The 40-year-old has now allowed two home runs in back-to-back starts and has given up at least three runs in four of his last six outings. However, he's also tallied five or more strikeouts in three consecutive starts.
