Morton won his 15th game on Friday./CHUCK MULLER
Saturday, 3 a.m.
This is why he was brought in. This is why he is worth the money.
Charlie Morton won his 15th game of the season Friday night, tying his most in a season over his career, as the Rays found their balance again after two straight losses. Morton, though not as his best, went six innings and allowed just three earned runs in an 11-4 victory.
Morton has now set season records for strikeouts, whip and innings pitched. His ERA is now the second best of his career.
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Meadows hit his 30th homer of the season./TIM WIRT
The Rays are a half-game behind Oakland in the wild-card race and a full game ahead of Cleveland.
"I don’t think Charlie was at his best." Rays' manager Kevin Cash said. "He’d tell you that. But he battled and made some big pitches.
“He’s not going to feel 100 percent all the time, but that's the sign of a really good pitcher. When you don’t feel good, when you’re just average with whatever....The stuff looked good, the command was a little spotty at time."
Morton's best moment came in the fourth inning when Andrelton Simmons singled and Jared Walsh doubled with no one out. Morton got out of the inning without giving up a run, however.
"That's probably the game," Cash said.
The Rays did plenty to support Morton. They had 15 hits for the night, including four home runs. Three of the homers (by Willy Adames, Austin Meadows and Jesus Aguilar) came in the third inning. Guillermo Heredia added a fourth homer in the sixth.
"I don’t think I could think of anyone as a 30 home-run guy," Cash said. "That’s unfair to the player. We knew we got a pretty talented young player. He's’s probably exceeded some expectations, and we’re happy that he’s ours. "
Cash was also pleased with Adames.
"It's easy to be critical of Willy," Cash said. "He’s out there every day. You sit back and look at how old he is and the strides he’s made. It’s pretty impressive."
Johny Davis, the speedster from the Mexican League, tripled in his first at-bat as a Ray and scored.
“If you told me five years ago I'd get my first big-league hit 30 minutes from my house, I‘d say you were lying to my face," Davis said. "That was wild. I’ve had two at-bats in the last month. I’ve got the confidence. I don’t care what pitcher is out there. You can’t get me out until you do it. When you get me out, you still can’t get me out"
The Rays play the Angels again tonight. Tyler Glasnow will pitch for the Rays against Jaime Barria. The game begins at 9:07 p.m.
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }