Morton, Wood coming off banner years
Drafted by Braves, Game 4 pitching foes reunite in spotlight
Atlanta is in their rearview mirrors, but it’s not a stretch to call their Saturday night showdown a brave new world for Charlie Morton and Alex Wood.
For one, the stakes undoubtedly will be far different than anything they experienced while coming up through the Braves’ system.
Their shared Atlanta background — both were drafted by the Braves but weren’t there at the same time — is one subplot of the Game 4 pitching matchup pitting Astros righthander Morton and Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Wood.
Morton is coming off arguably the game of his life, while his counterpart is seeking to rebound from his lone start of this postseason.
Morton’s last start was arguably the most memorable game to date at Minute Maid Park in Astros history, when he tossed five shutout innings to lead a 4-0 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series.
That victory had a personal connection for Morton, who grew up a Yankees fan in Connecticut, but the pressure ratchets up Saturday in the best-ofseven series.
“I’m really excited,” said Morton, who’ll be making his fourth start of the postseason. “Each of these games I’ve got to throw in — it’s a privilege, it’s an honor. Most people don’t get a chance to play in the postseason, let alone in a championship series or the World Series. I’m going to try to enjoy it, but at the same time I’ve got a job to do.”
Morton spent his career in the National League before this season, but he has started just twice against the Dodgers with a 0-1 record and has not faced them since 2015.
Like Morton, who had a career-best 14 wins in a turnaround year with the Astros, Wood also excelled during the regular season.
Wood went 16-3 — winning 15 more games than a year ago — with a 2.72 ERA. His .842 winning percentage was tops in the majors. Wood started the season 11-0 and went 14 consecutive starts without a loss, the longest stretch for the Dodgers since Rick Rhoden’s 19 consecutive unbeaten starts in 1976.
Wood has scant experience against the Astros, facing them once with the Braves on June 25, 2014, when he allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings of a 4-0 victory at Minute Maid Park. But only Jose Altuve and George Springer remain from the Astros’ starters that night, while Evan Gattis, Wood’s catcher in that game, is a good bet to be the designated hitter for the Astros.
Then there is the potential rust factor.
Unlike Morton, who has worked on regular rest during the postseason, Wood has largely been an observer because of the Dodgers’ dominance during the NL playoffs.
Wood has pitched once in the past 30 days. That came Oct. 18 in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Wood struck out seven in 42⁄3 innings that night, but he was tagged for three solo homers during the Dodgers’ first loss of the playoffs.
“It has its pluses and minuses,” Wood said of the layoff. “Something to where physically it helps me feel a lot more ready, because you have so much time off. But at the same time trying to stay sharp and stay on top of your game — I don’t think there’s any right answer. So we’ve tried to do our best with bullpens and lives and throwing flat grounds (drills) trying to stay mentally locked in.
“And it hasn’t been too difficult. I didn’t feel too rusty in my start (in) Chicago. Really at this point, it’s more about kind of mental fortitude than anything. It’s how focused can you stay and how mentally prepared can you be, and then it comes down to execution.
“From those aspects, I feel confident and I’m ready to go (Saturday).”