stlcardinals.com
July 7, 2002

MLBeat: Morris Pushes Forward

By Jared Hoffman

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Morris' start against the Cubs on Sunday was his shortest of the season. But in a year that has featured a few rough starts, it was far from his worst outing either and is something that could get fixed with a slight change in mechanics.

Morris pitched only four innings and allowed six runs on five hits and four walks. However, he just as easily could have allowed none.

The Cubs scored two runs off Morris in the first and four in the third. In each inning, Morris retired the first two batters and had two strikes on the third hitter, Sammy Sosa. Each time Sosa walked to extend the inning and then Fred McGriff and Moises Alou followed up with hits.

"There weren't many mistakes but they tallied a lot of runs with them," Morris said. "I think there was something in my windup that was telling them what's coming. I'm going to have to look at the tape and straighten myself out."

Manager Tony La Russa didn't dispute that notion.

"It was almost like they knew what he was throwing," La Russa said. "You take a look at Alou and McGriff, they didn't take one bad take and everything he threw, they were on. Other than that, I thought he pitched pretty good, but those two veterans had him solved."