When closing my eyes to have the fanboy dream of a Cain/Lowry/Sanchez/Lincecum rotation taking the Giants through the World Series, Matt Morris always crashes the party. He's going to be around for the next two years and can tag along, I guess, but only if he's relegated to fifth starter.
What a game he had last night, though. His pitches all looked crisp, but I was happier with the lack of walks. When the Giants signed Morris, we all knew he was going to get cuffed around occassionally. That's no big deal if the control remains close to flawless, which it certainly wasn't in the first part of the year. He was walking pitchers and punchless utility men; not because he was afraid to challenge them, but because he couldn't be as fine with his command as he was used to. I was frustrated, he was frustrated, you were frustrated...it was setting up to be a long three years.
He'll still have games where he gives up four home runs in three innings. But I could see games like last night's becoming less of a rarity, especially if he can keep the velocity/movement of that fastball working with the control that used to be his trademark. That would be welcome. A new winning streak would also be welcome. Three-and-a-half back? Only in America the NL West.