Charlie Morton (2-0, 1.93) allowed one earned run on three hits in seven innings of work to earn his second win of the season in the Pirates 5-2 victory over the Padres on Saturday night. Morton also made an impact his bat, driving in the go-ahead run in the sixth to put the Pirates ahead 3-2.
On the mound, a big plus again for Morton on the night was that his sinker was in top form, getting 16 ground ball outs. “The sinker had really good life,” manager Clint Hurdle said via Pirates.com “[Andrew] McCutchen was commenting on it from center field throughout the game.”
Of the 21 batters Morton retired, 16 were ground outs, 2 were strikeouts, 2 were foul pops and 1 out to the outfield. In his first two starts of the season, Morton has 32 ground ball outs, a huge key to his success on the mound.
2015 Stats: 2-0, 1.93 ERA, 5 SO, 1 BB, 0.86 WHIP