Morales allowed a run on two hits and struck out six without walking a batter over six innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.
Morales retired the first 13 batters he faced before Eugenio Suarez hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. Through four appearances (three starts), Morales is looking major-league ready, posting a 1.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB over 15.2 innings, with Friday's outing being against his toughest opponent yet. It's not yet clear when he'll start again, but the Athletics are at home versus the Tigers and Rangers in a pair of three-game series next week.
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Athletics' Luis Morales: Collects first big-league win
Rotowire
Morales (1-0) allowed a run on five hits and two walks while striking out five over five innings to earn the win over the Angels on Saturday.
Morales had mixed results in his first start last Sunday versus the Orioles, but he was steady after a shaky first inning in his second start. This was a good enough effort for Morales to come away with his first big-league win in just his third appearance. He's pitched to a 1.86 ERA despite a 1.66 WHIP and 9:8 K:BB through 9.2 innings since he was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas. Morales is tentatively projected for a somewhat tough road start versus the Mariners next week.
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Athletics' Luis Morales: Receiving another start
Rotowire
Morales is slated to start Saturday's game against the Angels in Sacramento.
Though Morales allowed no hits and struck out four batters in his first MLB start in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles, he was lifted after just 2.2 innings and 57 pitches after issuing five walks. Despite the wild outing, Morales will get another chance to stake a claim to a longer-term spot in the Athletics rotation. He'll face off against an Angels offense that has a MLB-high 26 percent strikeout rate, though the advantageous matchup could be mitigated by the fact that he'll be pitching at Sutter Health Park, which has been a favorable venue for hitters this season.
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Athletics' Luis Morales: Wild in first start
Rotowire
Morales did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing no hits and five walks over 2.2 scoreless innings against the Orioles. He struck out four.
Morales didn't allow a hit in his first MLB start Sunday, but five walks and just 25 strikes on 57 pitches limited him to recording only eight outs. The rookie debuted Aug. 1 against the Diamondbacks, giving up one run over two innings in relief, before earning his first start. Earlier this year, he regularly worked deep into games for Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas from mid-April to mid-June, but the right-hander hasn't gone beyond three innings in an outing since the start of July. With the pitching staff in flux and Luis Severino (oblique) now on the injured list, it remains to be seen what role Morales will fill moving forward.
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Athletics' Luis Morales: Set for first big-league start
Rotowire
Morales will start Sunday's game against the Orioles.
Morales most recently logged two innings in his big-league debut Aug. 1, and prior to that, he had been logging between one and three innings per outing at Triple-A Las Vegas. With that in mind, Morales' first big-league start will likely be a short one. Morales has big-time stuff, with his fastball having touched triple digits in the past, but his control has been much better since he started pitching in shorter stints after giving up six runs in 2.1 innings in a June 21 start. After that, he had a 2.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB in 18 innings over nine appearances before getting the call to the majors. Osvaldo Bido could be an option to log multiple innings after Morales exits Sunday.
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Athletics' Luis Morales: Promotion expected
Rotowire
The Athletics are expected to select Morales' contract Friday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Morales has pitched at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season. He began the year as a starter but has more recently shifted to a multi-inning relief role, posting a 22:11 K:BB across 20.1 innings. Morales' fit with the big-league club is unclear, and no starter has been announced for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks.
