JUST-IN: They Let Him Walk Without Hesitation. He Looked Done, Washed, A $15 million mistake Now This Veteran Arm Has Flipped The Script in Spectacular Fashion As His Sudden Comeback Is Rubbing Salt in the Braves’ Wounds—and They Know It

 

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For much of the season, it seemed like the Atlanta Braves made the right call by letting Charlie Morton leave. After signing a one-year, $15 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, Morton was struggling badly—so much so that the team likely considered designating him for assignment. While nearly every Orioles pitcher has had a tough time this year, Morton’s performance was particularly concerning.

But recently, the narrative has shifted, and now it’s fair to wonder if the Braves actually miss him. Yes, really. In his first nine outings, Morton’s ERA was over 9.00, and he had allowed more earned runs than innings pitched. However, in his last seven appearances, he’s posted an ERA below 2.50—and his most dominant performance came on Friday.

Against a solid Los Angeles Angels lineup, Morton threw five shutout innings, allowing just five hits and a walk while striking out 10. A rain delay ended his outing early, but it was easily his best showing of the year. Watching Morton dominate while Bryce Elder struggled that same night had to sting for Braves fans.

Charlie Morton

Elder, facing the 13-56 Colorado Rockies, gave up four runs on seven hits and three walks in only 3.1 innings—a rough outing, especially considering the opponent. Though the Braves still pulled off a win and Elder has shown some improvement this year, that performance was hardly reassuring.

Morton’s turnaround started on May 10 when he tossed two scoreless innings in relief against the Angels. Since then, five Braves pitchers have thrown at least 20 innings, and only Chris Sale has a better ERA than Morton’s 2.45. Spencer Schwellenbach is close behind at 2.76, while Elder and Grant Holmes are both under 4.00—but for the past month, Morton has been among the best.

To be fair, even with Morton pitching this well, it might not drastically change the Braves’ situation due to the issues in their lineup and bullpen. Still, as they search for more stability from Elder, Braves fans can’t help but imagine how different the rotation could look with Morton in peak form.