Etkin: Morales starting to come into his own

Published August 25, 2006 at midnight

Text size

More Colorado Rockies

High Single-A Modesto manager Glenallen Hill played 1,162 games in the majors over 13 seasons. That’s long enough to realize the merits of tempered judgment and the pitfalls in rhapsodizing about very young players.

Left-hander Franklin Morales, 20, defies this logic, particularly after the breakthrough that seems to be occurring in his past three starts.

"Franklin, he makes the heart flutter," Hill said. "Because when he does it right, it looks easy. When he’s smooth in his delivery and his emotions are under control and he’s out there and he’s just pitching and he’s not worried, he dominates."

That’s pretty much what Morales, who is 9-9 with a 3.78 ERA, has done lately. He took a no-hitter into the ninth on Aug. 12 at Visalia, leaving after giving up a leadoff double. Aug. 18 at San Jose, Morales allowed two hits and two runs in seven innings and struck out 16. He also got five ground ball outs, meaning none of Morales’ 21 outs came on balls hit it in the air. And Wednesday against Visalia, he yielded two runs in six innings with nine strikeouts.

The sum total of those three starts is a 2-0 record with a 2.14 ERA, seven hits and 10 walks allowed in 22 innings with 34 strikeouts.

Morales pitches at 94-95 mph and can rev his fastball up to 98 mph. And his curveball and changeup are plus pitches, too, so there has always been plenty to like about this Venezuelan. But there have been plenty of maddening moments, too, because until recently, Morales’ tendency has always been to try to overpower hitters, bury them with his ego as well as his stuff and reduce them to insignificance rather than just get them out.

"He’s thinking he can throw the ball 200 miles an hour," Hill said. "He gets very excited about challenging them. It’s very, very nice to watch him engage in that battle. But you have to teach him to engage in that battle with the same intensity in a more relaxed, Zen-type way."

And that’s what finally seems to be happening with Morales, who leads the California League in both strikeouts (169) and walks (82), averaging 10.64 strikeouts and 5.16 walks per nine innings.

In his past three starts, as good as they’ve been, Morales has reverted to overthrowing but not for lengthy periods, Modesto pitching coach Butch Hughes said. And when Hughes notices Morales lapsing into his old ways, he yells a code word that alerts Morales that he should back off because he’s throwing too hard. Indeed, on Wednesday, Hughes said Morales would get two quick outs but try to retire the side with a strikeout.

"I could see him overthrowing to get that third out," Hughes said. "And that’s something we addressed after the game."

Hill had a heart-to-heart talk with Morales about being less emotional on the mound after an Aug. 7 start when he lost 4-3 against Bakersfield and gave up three hits, four runs and five walks in 5 1/3 innings, threw a wild pitch and struck out 10.

That was around the time roving pitching coordinator Jim Wright spent nine days in Modesto to try to help Hughes get Morales, Samuel Deduno and the rest of the Modesto rotation moving forward.

"We kind of cracked the whip on him a little bit," Wright said, referring to Morales. "I told him I was disappointed in his performance because he’s not getting better; he’s just trying to overpower the league."

Morales’ right knee was bothering him, and Wright asked Morales when it hurt most. The answer was when Morales tried to do too much. He was spinning off his pitches, aggravating his knee.

"I said, ‘You’re going to lose power,’ " Wright said. " ‘You’re already starting to hurt your knee. Your arm is next.’ I kind of hammered him good."

Albeit with good results. Morales was asked to count one, two, three in his delivery with three being the point when the wrist comes through the ball and it’s thrown. Like many young pitchers who can throw hard, Morales was throwing at two, as soon as his hands start to separate, and never getting to three.

"And that’s too soon," Wright said, because it caused Morales to move his head away from the catcher’s glove, and spin out and, in turn, affect his knee.

With help from Hughes and Wright, Morales has become much better at holding on to the ball longer and thinking less about notching another chest-puffing strikeout.

"He’s thinking about not taking his eyes off that glove," Wright said, "and thinking about throwing his pitch through that glove."

To further prove the point, after Morales showed improvement in a start, Wright and Hughes showed Morales his radar gun readings. They were the same high-end figures but with considerably less effort expended.

Morales’ changeup and curveball, Hughes said, are very good, although he needs to throw both pitches for strikes more frequently, particularly his cureveball.

Last year at low Single-A Asheville, Morales’ changeup became more consistent because Wright and Greg Booker, formerly Asheville’s pitching coach, told Morales his changeup was imperative. If his curveball is out of the strike zone or a little off for two or three innings, they explained Morales could go to his changeup. But without the changeup, Morales was in for a tougher day when his curveball was off.

That was a key lesson from last year. This season, Morales has learned an even more crucial lesson about his fastball, around which every pitcher’s game revolves.

"I don’t think in his mind he’s trying less," Wright said. "He’s just trying to throw later and not come off the glove. Whatever it is, it’s the right thing for him."

Hughes put it another way, using a reference from another sport to describe how Morales has finally realized the value of collecting his emotions on the mound.

"I remember reading a story about Larry Bird shooting baskets," Hughes said, "and just one day, he had it. He realized everything he threw up there, he’d hit. But it wasn’t like that until about the 2 millionth shot.

"Well, it’s taken Morales about 2 million fastballs to understand that he can get the same results, better results actually, by staying under control."

Triple-A: Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Jose Acevedo (6-8, 5.59), who last pitched Aug. 12, has a strained muscle in his left rib cage and is likely out for the balance of the season ... Sunwoo Kim (7-5, 4.63) has allowed two runs in 13 innings while winning his past two starts. Kim threw a one-hitter Monday in the second game of a doubleheader at Tucson and needed just 74 pitches to work seven innings ... Outfielder Sean Barker (.279-11-45) was hitting .256 when he injured his right shoulder July 6 making a spectacular catch at Salt Lake. He didn’t return until July 31 but since then is 26-for-76 (.342) with one double, three triples, six homers and 18 RBI ... Right fielder Jeff Baker (.301-13-96) is third in the Pacific Coast League in RBI, three behind the leader, despite having just nine RBI in his past 15 games. Those nine RBI came in four games ... Catcher Chris Iannetta (.351-3-22) put a 5-for-24 skid behind him with a four-hit game Wednesday, his first since he joined the Sky Sox on June 26, he had two more hits Thursday. One of those hits was Iannetta's first homer since July 4, ending a home-run drought that lasted 126 at-bats. Iannetta hit .321-11-26 in 44 games at Tulsa to begin the season.

Double-AA: Tulsa Drillers

First baseman Joe Koshansky (.295-31-107) has broken the Drillers’ RBI record of 105 set by Carlos Peña in 2000 and is one home run shy of tying the record of 32 set by Kevin Buckley in 1986 and matched by Bubba Smith in 1996. Koshansky has hit .289-13-53 at home and .300-18-54 on the road ... Marc Kaiser (10-9, 4.42) leads the league in complete games (three) and is second in innings pitched (1502/3). Kaiser is 3-0, 2.38 in his past three starts, including a five-hit shutout Sunday in Tulsa’s 7-0 win against San Antonio. He pitches at 88 mph and tops out at 90-91 mph with his fastball and must also command his curveball and changeup to be effective. Kaiser has thrown three of Tulsa’s seven complete games, and they have been the past three. His others were June 23 against Midland and June 18 at Springfield. Other Drillers with complete games were Ubaldo Jimenez, who has been promoted to Colorado Springs, on June 9 against Arkansas, Steven Register, eight innings in a May 31 loss at San Antonio and six innings in a loss May 4 in the first game of a doubleheader at Fresno, and Juan Morillo, seven innings April 30 in the first game of a doubleheader against Fresno ... Third baseman Ian Stewart (.263-9-66) went 2-for-4 Thursday, a welcome reprieve from a 3-for-48 slide that had dropped his average from 25 points from .286 ... Reliever Jentry Beckstead (5-2, 2.81) has made 11 consecutive scoreless appearances, covering 20 1/3 innings and has allowed six hits and three walks in that stretch with 25 strikeouts ... Morillo (11-8, 4.66) is 3-0, 3.00 in his past three starts with 19 strikeouts, 12 walks and 10 hits allowed in 18 innings. Morillo, who has pitched 133 1/3 innings, leads the Texas League in walks (79) and is third in strikeouts (123).

High Single-A: Modesto Nuts

Reliever Scott Beerer (3-1, 3.55 with 11 saves), who began the season as the Nuts closer, pitched one encouraging inning Tuesday — no hits or runs, one walk and one strikeout — in his first appearance since his control went haywire July 18. After that outing, pitching coach Butch Hughes suggested that Beerer change his arm slot from straight over the top and try a three-quarter to low three-quarter delivery. The result is more comfort and command for Beerer, who was throwing 10-12 pitches full bore in the bullpen every other day in his attempt to get back on track. As Beerer progressed to the point where he could again work in a game, the thinking was to have him pitch in a blowout. The Nuts were leading 6-0 when Hughes got Beerer up in the seventh Tuesday and ahead 9-0 when he took the mound in the eighth. Beerer worked another inning Thursday night in which he gave up two hits and allowed one unearned run. He also struck out a batter ... Catcher Neil Wilson (.293-2-27) played Sunday for the first time since July 20. Wilson has been sidelined by three staph infections in various areas of his body this year and after the third came to Denver to see a disease specialist, who could not pinpoint the cause. Upon returning, Wilson has gone 6-for-17 with seven RBI in his first four games ... Center fielder Chris Frey (.284-2-54) went 22-for-48 with six doubles, three triples, and 10 RBI and 10 runs in a 12-game hitting streak that ended Sunday ... Going into Thursday Left fielder Justin Nelson led the California League with 138 strikeouts, an average of one every 3.22 at-bats. Nelson has hit eight homers in 85 at-bats this month after hitting 12 in 360 at-bats from April through July ... Second baseman Corey Wimberly (.329-2-23) has hit in 11 of his past 12 games, 14 of his past 16 and 29 of his past 31. With 46 stolen bases, Wimberly is second in the league, 10 behind the leader, despite missing all but two games with a strained right hamstring injury from May 13 through July 7.

Low Single-A: Asheville

Getting on the field has been a problem for the Tourists. They were rained out at home Saturday against Kannapolis. A doubleheader was scheduled Sunday but was rained out. The teams played Monday at Kannapolis, with Asheville winning 4-0, but a doubleheader scheduled Tuesday at Kannapolis was rained out. The Tourists had a scheduled off day Wednesday before beating visiting Greenville 5-4 on Thursday. They’re 32-23 and in second place, 11 games behind in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division. While it’s a stretch to think the Tourists can make a run at winning the division and making the playoffs, they missed an opportunity by not being able to play Kannapolis, which has the worst record in the league (18-37) in the second half after going a league-worst 20-50 in the first half ... Third baseman Philip Cuadrado (.302-12-73) is sixth in the league in batting, thanks to a 14-for-30 spree in his past eight games that includes five doubles, three homers and eight RBI ... Closer Andrew Johnston (0-3, 2.61 with 23 saves) has been scored on in just two of his past 12 games, allowing nine hits and three runs, one earned, in 12 innings in that stretch with no walks and eight strikeouts. In 41 1/3 innings this season, Johnston has four walks and 22 strikeouts ... Shane Lindsay (2-0, 3.27) has made five starts since his promotion from Tri-City and is settling in, going 2-0, 1.29 in his past three starts while allowing nine hits and six runs, two earned, in 14 innings with seven walks and 21 strikeouts ... Second baseman Eric Young Jr. (.286-5-43) stole two bases Thursday, giving him 82 steals in 112 attempts and breaking the low Single-A record for a Rockies farmhand of 80 stolen bases set by Bernard Hutchison in 1997 with Asheville. Young is 24-for-63 batting this month with 13 steals in 16 attempts and since the end of June has raised his average from .251 by hitting .345 (57-for-165) ... Left fielder Cole Garner (.300-17-77), who leads the league with 92 runs, is hitting .352-8-45 at home and .243-9-31 on the road.

Short-season single-A: Tri-City Dust Devils

The season has become long and arduous for 18-year-old Aneury Rodriguez (3-4, 4.86). While going 0-3, 20.25 in his past three starts, Rodriguez has allowed 19 hits and 20 runs, 18 earned, in eight innings with eight walks and three strikeouts. The three-run homer Rodriguez allowed in the fourth inning Tuesday was the second homer off him in 63 innings this season. The other came in his first start June 20, when Rodriguez allowed a two-run homer in the fourth at Eugene ... Josh Sullivan (3-3, 2.25) is 3-0, 2.04 in his past three starts, allowing 10 hits and two walks in 172/3 innings with 19 strikeouts. A shoulder problem, which required postseason surgery, limited Sullivan to one inning last year at Tri-City on July 23 after the Rockies took him in the fifth round of the 2005 draft out of Auburn. He’s a power pitcher who touches 97 mph and pitches at 93 mph and has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 11 starts this season ... During his 11-game hitting streak, which ended Thursday night when he went 0-for-3, shortstop Daniel Mayora (.321-5-24) has gone 18-for-45 with four doubles, one triple, three RBI and 10 runs scored. Mayora’s average had dipped to .307 before the streak began ... The Dust Devils have gone a season-high 10 consecutive games without a home run since outfielder Bret Berglund (.217-3-21) went deep in the first inning Aug. 12 at Eugene. Tri-City’s homerless drought has lasted 96 innings ... Left-hander Keith Weiser (1-1, 3.13), who was drafted in the third round this year out of Miami (Ohio) University, has not walked one more than one batter in any game with a bottom line of six walks and 39 strikeouts in 46 innings this season ... In his 20th professional start Thursday, Andrew Kreidermacher (5-4, 3.84) threw his first complete game. He allowed six hits and one run with one walk and four strikeouts in a 6-1 win at Yakima.

Rookie: Casper Rockies

The unpredictable nature of Rookie ball was evident in three successive games this week. Sunday, two Missoula pitchers combined on a no-hitter with one walk and 13 strikeouts as Casper lost 5-0. It was the first no-hitter thrown against Casper, which is in its sixth season in the Pioneer League ... Monday, the Rockies rebounded to beat visiting Missoula 4-0. Robinson Fabian (3-3, 4.19) missed his scheduled start that night because of shoulder tendinitis that is not expected to sideline him for a second start. Drew Shetrone (1-1, 4.18) made his first start after 15 relief appearances and gave up two hits and two walks in four scoreless innings, a professional high, with six strikeouts before three relievers finished up ... Tuesday, the Rockies lost 9-8 in 10 innings to Missoula. Infielder Mike Milliron (.264-2-10) capped a five-run seventh with a pinch-hit grand slam as the Rockies took an 8-7 lead before Agustin Arias (0-0, 7.15 with five saves) surrendered a game-tying homer with one out in the ninth, and Missoula won it in the 10th. Milliron had hit one homer in 104 at-bats this year before his grand slam and came to the plate with two homers in 167 professional at-bats ... Second baseman Everth Cabrera (.270-0-9), a very good defensive player who is from Nicaragua and won’t turn 20 until Nov. 17, has rebounded from a 2-for-31 start to the season in his first eight games. Since then, Cabrera, who has a team-leading 28 walks, has hit .333 (35-for-105). He played with the Rockies team in the Dominican Summer League the past two years ... Outfielder Jay Cox (.241-1-17) has gone 6-for-45 this month and has one RBI since July 17 ... Brandon Hynick (4-3, 2.39) allowed four runs while working five innings Aug. 18, equaling the number of runs he yielded in 28 1/3 innings in his previous five starts. And two of the four runs Hynick allowed in those five games were unearned. In 11 starts, Hynick has 65 strikeouts and seven walks in 58 innings.

etkinj@RockyMountainNews.com

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News