Morales left flustered by new role

Gerry Fraley, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 25, 2007 at midnight

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BOSTON — Rockies manager Clint Hurdle hesitated before shifting rookie left-hander Franklin Morales from the rotation to the bullpen.

"Very rarely do I like to take somebody and put him in a different role," Hurdle said before the World Series opened Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

Now, the world knows why.

Morales’ first major league relief appearance turned into a historic disaster. Morales retired only two of the nine hitters he faced during the fourth inning and allowed seven runs in a nightmarish appearance that enabled Boston to rout the Rockies 13-1.

It ranks among the most ineffective all-time relief outings in World Series history. The last reliever to go through a similar struggle was Yankees right-hander Jay Witasick, who gave up nine runs in 1 1/3 innings against Arizona in Game 6 of the 2001 World Series.

Witasick was a veteran at the time. Morales is a kid who was overwhelmed by the setting.

Pitching coach Bob Apodaca said an overly excited Morales let his body get out of control, and his performance rapidly deteriorated into a series of pitches to bad spots.

"In this stage, we’re the only game in town," Apodaca said. "You have to be prepared for it when you take the mound. It’s human nature to try and do too much, but nothing good comes out of that. It’s a great recipe for mistakes."

In 106 previous professional games, Morales had made only seven relief appearances. He last worked out of the bullpen in 2006, making one relief appearance that season while in the Single-A California League.

Hurdle switched Morales after he failed to make it past the fourth inning in two starts during the National League playoffs. With right-hander Aaron Cook headed back into the rotation after a long, injury-related absence, Hurdle decided to keep Morales to give the bullpen three left-handers.

Morales stepped into the lion’s den. Boston’s lineup is roaring along at full speed, having scored 43 runs during the past four games.

Like starter Jeff Francis, Morales lost control with two out and no hint of a building Boston storm.

The Red Sox had a runner at first with two out when the eruption began. Six consecutive batters reached on five hits and a walk.

Morales left the bases loaded for Ryan Speier, a full-time reliever who gave up three consecutive walks. Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez had two-strike, run-scoring hits against Morales during the run.

"So we’ve got some things we can work on," Hurdle said in a matter-of-fact tone.

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