Spring training | Charlie Morton finding a healthy groove in Pittsburgh's rotation
BRADENTON -- After Tommy John surgery robbed Charlie Morton of the first couple months of the 2013 season, he found his groove as a dependable starter in the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2014 rotation.
That is until an injury not related to his throwing arm occurred.
Morton had inflammation in his right hip last August. The injury required a trip to the 15-day disabled list. His return in September lasted one start, and his season ended with surgery to repair the labrum in that hip.
On Saturday, Morton started for the Pirates in their next-to-last Grapefruit League home game at McKechnie Field against the Toronto Blue Jays.
He showed off the adjustments he has been making to his mechanics -- he cut down on the torque in his delivery to protect the hip -- allowing three runs in six innings on the way to picking up the winning in the Pirates' 8-3 victory over the Blue Jays. The game was played in front of 6,351 fans on a day the franchise set an all-time spring training attendance mark.
"There were a couple pitches I felt like I made; there was a double in the gap right-center that I felt was a pretty good pitch," Morton said. "He just looked like he was cheating in and up, and put it in the gap. And the opposite field home run ... that was just working to get ahead, and he just went with it and put it in the air."
Morton, who finished 6-12 last season with a 3.72 ERA, is slotted as the Pirates' No. 3 starter behind Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole.
The adjustments to his mechanics take time, but he said they were made in order for him to improve on the mound.
"I think there's an emphasis being put on mechanical adjustments because of injury," Morton said. "If I get hurt ... I'm doing something wrong. That's the idea. That's what would motivate me or anyone else, and when I say, 'Get better,' that's part of it -- staying on the field and trying to maintain my stuff."
Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said Morton has changed his delivery. But that does not come at the expense of his health this spring.
"I haven't heard anything on the other side of 'he's healthy' ... the entire spring," Hurdle said.
Tony Sanchez, a former Bradenton Marauder and current Pittsburgh catcher, said Morton has one of the best sinkers in the game. The club needs him healthy, according to Sanchez.
"For us to be where we want to be in October, we need Charlie Morton," Sanchez said. "So right now, it's just a matter of getting that arm in that slot that we want it in and making sure the pitches have the same action."
This story was originally published March 29, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Spring training | Charlie Morton finding a healthy groove in Pittsburgh's rotation."