St. Louis Post-Dispatch
October 10, 2001

Morris Pitches Valiantly But Takes Another Road Loss

By Bernie Miklasz

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Matt Morris gave the Cardinals everything he had. He gave them some Bob Gibson. He gave them some pit bull on the pitching mound. He gave his team a chance to wrestle Game 1 from the firm grasp of Arizona starter Curt Schilling.

Morris allowed one run in seven innings, converting his anxiety into excellence. The Diamondbacks put him in jams a few times, but Morris snapped at them with his sensational curveball. Tuesday at Bank One Ballpark, the curve worked for Morris the way a microchip works for Bill Gates, the way comedy works for Robin Williams, the way Puccini works for Pavarotti.

Baseball purists had to savor this game, a 1-0 Arizona victory, even if they live in St. Louis. It was old-time baseball, devoid of cheap home runs and junk. We were offered a pitching duel between two cold-hearted throwers who worked the margins and broke bats, refusing to give up the fat part of the strike zone.

And Morris virtually matched Schilling's intensity and brilliance, easing concerns over his road-worrier pitching record this season. Morris had a 5.15 ERA away from Busch Stadium this season, but he was St. Louis-sharp in Arizona.

Schilling, 34, has seven years on Morris, and he's been one of the game's best pitchers, and one of its most tenacious competitors, for years. But Morris was up to the challenge, he was up to Schilling's level. Morris was all the Cardinals needed him to be.

Ten times in Game 1, the Diamondbacks came to the plate with a runner in scoring position against Morris. And nine times, Morris flicked them away by getting a crucial out to inflate the Cardinals' hopes.

"I was so proud of Matt Morris," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "He gave us a great chance to win the game."

Thanks to Morris, it was all there for the Cardinals, all set up for control of this series. They were in position to take Game 1, disrupt Arizona's home-field advantage and turn the momentum to their side.

Schilling would have none of that, and he grew more resistant as the night went on, the pressure intensifying with each pitch. In a battle of nerves, Schilling made the Cardinals stand down in a three-hit, complete-game shutout that was your basic postseason masterpiece.

"They were both great," La Russa said. "But Schilling was even greater."

And the Cardinals are in big trouble.

Specifically, Big Unit trouble.

The Unit, Randy Johnson, is the most dominant pitcher in baseball. Having missed a wonderful opportunity to win Game 1, the Cardinals now face a Game 2 appointment with Johnson. He's rested and ready. And he's probably in a grumpy mood, having lost to the Cardinals twice this season in a 10-day stretch in April. It's payback time for those April showers.

Arizona manager Bob Brenly's calculated gamble paid off. He took a chance, going with Schilling instead of Johnson in Game 1. Brenly was reasonably confident that Schilling would win Game 1. And if that happened, the Diamondbacks could put the Cardinals in a desperate state by sending Johnson after them in Game 2. The plan worked marvelously for Brenly, the rookie manager.

"We have two big horses," said Arizona center fielder Steve Finley, who drove in the game's only run. "And one of them won the game tonight. And now we have the other one going tomorrow."

The Cardinals need to find their bats, and they must do it quickly. Since Friday night, they have been shut down by the last three quality starters they've faced: Houston's Wade Miller and Shane Reynolds, and now Schilling.

Down 1-0 in a best-of-five series, the last thing a slumping team wants to see is the 6-foot-10 Johnson glaring down at them.

"I feel bad for the Cardinals," Arizona catcher Damian Miller said.

That's because he knows they'll get no sympathy from Randy Johnson.