Stlcardinals.com
April 7, 2002

Morris Comes Up Big For Cards

By Jim Moloney

HOUSTON -- Even when he isn't at his best Matt Morris is still awfully good.
The St. Louis right-hander, despite three errors committed behind him and throwing 125 pitches in six innings, held Houston without an earned run to record his second victory in as many starts as the Cardinals beat the Astros, 8-4, Saturday at Astros Field.

"He's got it all. He's got guts to match his arm. Got a real good head too," St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said of Morris. "In other words, he's smart, he's the whole deal."

The Cardinals needed to spare the bullpen after having used five relievers in seven innings the night before. If Morris got in trouble early, it would have taxed the relief corps even more, a scenario La Russa didn't want to consider after losing starting Woody Williams to the 15-day disabled list earlier in the day. These are the kind of injury chain reactions that have derailed the Cardinals in the past.

This potential stumble was averted thanks to Morris and an offense that pounded lumps on the Houston bullpen. The seventh and eighth hitters in the St. Louis lineup, Mike Difelice and Eli Marrero, each came within a hit of hitting for the cycle and Albert Pujols drove in three runs.

But it was Morris who stymied a Houston offense that entered the game hitting .321.

"He's got pretty good command of his fastball, he pitches on both sides of the plate and his curveball is absolutely nasty when it's on," Houston center fielder Lance Berkman said. "I think he would tell you that his curveball wasn't on tonight. Tonight was a night where we might have gotten to him.

"I'm sure he would say that his stuff wasn't quite where he wanted it to be. That just shows you that he's a great pitcher because he can go out there and compete with stuff that certainly wasn't as good as I've seen it."

Morris retired the side in order twice in six innings. He walked two and struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 0.69. The Astros stranded eight runners while Morris was in the game.

"I labored through most of the game," Morris admitted. "Even when I got two quick outs they seemed to get a hit or a full-count walk."

The right-hander gave up a pair of unearned runs in the third when Edgar Renteria booted what should have been an inning-ending double play ball. After Renteria's boot Morris gave up a single to Jeff Bagwell and retired Berkman on a pop-up to bring Richard Hidalgo to the plate. Hidalgo delivered a two-run single. Before the inning was over Houston's Daryle Ward would hit a shot to the mound that would hit Morris in the left arm and carom to his right forearm. Bruised but unbowed, Morris picked up the ball and threw Ward out.

Over in the visitor's dugout, La Russa and the rest of the Cardinals had an anxious moment until they saw that Morris was not hurt.

"He hit it hard but it didn't hit me (squarely)," Morris said."

With the game tied at 2-2 in the sixth Morris retired the first two batters but then loaded the bases on a single to Morgan Ensberg, a walk to Adam Everett and hitting pinch-hitter Geoff Blum. But he got Craig Biggio to fly to right on his 125th and final pitch of the evening.

"I tried to make the pitch in on Blum and got it in a little too far," Morris said. "You know with Biggio coming up, a quality hitter like that, you have to be very careful. I think he got himself out. I don't think the pitch was that great."

Maybe not, but it served its purpose. La Russa needed six innings from his starter and he got it, even without his best stuff.

"I felt my fastball was pretty good," Morris said. "I threw a bunch of pitches so later in the game they were starting to get up a bit. After that I was able to get my curveball down a little bit. I thought my fastball was a lot better than my curbevall. Early on, I was throwing it too hard, which means it comes out of your hand a little slower."

All of the six hits Morris allowed were singles.

"He beat us, he pitched good," Houston manager Jimy Williams said. "He threw quite a few pitches, but he maintained his stuff."

Said Berkman: "Sometimes, he's out there throwing 95, 96 (miles per hour), tonight he was more 89 to 92, 93 and the curve seemed like it was there some innings and some innings it wasn't. He's a great competitor and that's what makes him a good pitcher."

It's also what makes him the Cardinals' ace.

"I knew coming in I needed to go deep into the game (and) six innings is not that deep," Morris said. "125 pitches ... I need to be more efficient than that. But we got picked up all around and the bullpen did the job."