Charlie Morton: How Good Is He?

This question comes into sharper focus after the Pirates' two defeats over the weekend, even with solid starts by veteran starters. But Charlie Morton, one of the three players acquired from the Atlanta Braves for Nate McLouth last spring, pitched a seven-inning, one-run start against the San Diego Padres in PNC park on Friday night. That's very good. He also opened a game against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley field by giving up 10 runs in the one inning he pitched. That's Baaaad, to the point of being record breaking.  Are we dealing with Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here? Not quite. There's a lot more good than bad. The start against the Cubs is largely the exception. The strong start against the Padres is (almost) the rule. The fact of the matter is that Morton's home ERA is just 0.01 over 2.75.  That's second only to Ross Ohlendorf, who is 0.01 below this figure. This suggests that these "transplants" are the best two Pirate pitchers on ra...