Morton plans to continue his baseball career in 2025, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The 41-year-old has not yet confirmed it himself, but recent reports had suggested Morton was likely to keep pitching next season rather than retire. Morton's strikeout rate fell to 23.8 percent in 2024, which was the lowest it's been since 2015. He still misses bats at an above-average rate, however, and has made 30-plus starts in each of the last six non-COVID seasons. Morton shouldn't have trouble netting a sizable one-year contract, likely from a contender.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Suffers another loss
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Morton (8-10) took the loss Sunday against Kansas City, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks across 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
Morton took the loss for the third time in his last four starts and surrendered four runs for a second consecutive outing. All four runs against the 40-year-old came via the long ball, with Michael Massey lifting a three-run homer in the first inning before Hunter Renfroe notched a solo shot in the fourth. Morton ends the regular season with a 4.19 ERA and a 167:65 K:BB across 165.1 innings spanning 30 starts, and his usage Sunday makes it highly unlikely he would be available in the Wild Card Round should Atlanta make the playoffs.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Will start Sunday
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Morton will start for Atlanta in Sunday's series finale against the Royals, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
By having Morton start Sunday, Atlanta has the flexibility to start Chris Sale or Spencer Schwellenbach on Monday against the Mets or Tuesday in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series. Morton came away with the loss in his last start against the Marlins on Sept. 20, during which he gave up four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out three over six innings. Over his 29 starts this season, Morton has an 8-9 record with a 4.08 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 164:63 K:BB across 161 innings.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Walks four in loss
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Morton (8-9) yielded four runs on seven hits and four walks over six innings Friday, striking out three and taking a loss against Miami.
Morton struggled out of the gate and allowed three runs in the first inning. He kept the Marlins off the board for a few frames before allowing another run in the fifth. He threw 64 of 105 pitches for strikes and forced 12 whiffs, including seven with his curveball. Morton has walked multiple batters in seven straight starts, posting a 44:19 K:BB over 40.1 innings during that span. He now owns a 4.08 ERA with a 164:63 K:BB through 29 starts this season. Morton is projected to make his final regular-season start of 2024 in a home matchup against the Mets next week.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Tosses quality start
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Morton did not factor into the decision in Sunday's loss to the Dodgers, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings.
Morton blanked the Dodgers through four innings and allowed just two baserunners. They eventually got one in the fifth off a Shohei Ohtani double after the Dodgers opened up the frame with a single and a walk. Morton now has consecutive quality starts for the first time since July and has a 2.68 ERA over his last seven starts. He's now down to a 4.01 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 161:59 K:BB in 155 innings and lines up for a favorable start against Miami later in the week.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Pitches well in loss
Rotowire
Morton (8-8) took the loss Monday, giving up one run on six hits and two walks over 6.2 innings in a 1-0 loss to the Mets. He struck out seven.
Morton put together one of his better efforts of the season in a losing effort Monday. He pitched into the seventh inning for just the fifth time this season and held the Reds to a single run on an RBI double by Ty France in the third inning. The 40-year-old got lit up for eight runs against the Brewers early in August but has bounced back nicely since then with a 2.88 ERA over his last six starts.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Finishes strong for eighth victory
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Morton (8-7) earned the win over Colorado on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out eight batters over five innings.
Morton yielded two hits in a scoreless first inning, then allowed the Rockies to score twice on a walk, a triple and a double in the second. The veteran right-hander pitched much better the rest of the way, surrendering just one hit and two walks while keeping Colorado off the scoreboard across his final three frames. Morton needed 100 pitches to cover five innings and didn't return for the sixth, but he was effective in racking up 13 swinging strikes and eight punchouts. He's allowed three or fewer runs with at least six strikeouts in each of his past five starts but has completed six frames only once during that span.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: One out shy of quality start
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Morton allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven over 5.2 innings in a no-decision versus Philadelphia on Thursday.
Morton successfully worked around traffic in each of the first five innings, but he got tagged for a three-run home run by Brandon Marsh in the sixth. Morton threw 62 of 105 pitches for strikes, but Atlanta couldn't hold the lead after he exited the game. He's allowed three runs or fewer in six of his eight starts since the All-Star break, though the two exceptions saw him give up seven (five earned) and eight runs in his only two losses in that span. Overall, Morton has a 4.26 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 140:52 K:BB through 137.1 innings across 25 starts this season. The 40-year-old is projected to make his next start at home versus Colorado.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Strikes out six in no-decision
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Morton did not factor into the decision in Saturday's win over the Nationals, allowing two runs on eight hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out six.
Both runs charged to Morton on the night came across on a two-run homer from Jose Tena in the second inning. The right-hander would then hurl three consecutive scoreless frames before being relieved by Aaron Bummer with two outs in the sixth. It marked the second straight outing in which Morton has been unable to get through six innings, though he's now given up two or fewer runs in each of his last three starts. He's also recorded six or more strikeouts in four of five starts in August, posting a 30:8 K:BB over that stretch.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Rebounds for sixth victory
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Morton (6-6) earned the win against Miami on Thursday, allowing an unearned run on five hits and two walks while striking out six batters over six innings.
Morton was mauled for seven runs (five earned) over 2.2 frames in his previous start, but he bounced back nicely against the lowly Marlins, picking up both a win and a quality start. The only run the veteran right-hander allowed was unearned, though the error that led to the tally was a result of his own errant throw. While Morton's strikeout numbers are down this season, he's been able to hold his own against big-league hitters at age 40, posting respectable 3.94 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 112 innings.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Rocked by Mets
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Morton (5-6) took the loss Friday, coughing up seven runs (five earned) on six hits -- including three home runs -- on a walk over 2.2 innings in an 8-4 loss to the Mets. He struck out two.
After holding New York off the board through the first two frames, Morton fell apart in the third and served up a grand slam to J.D. Martinez, a two-run shot to Mark Vientos and a solo blast to Francisco Alvarez before getting the hook. It's the third time in four July starts the veteran right-hander has been taken deep multiple times, a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 5.31 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB through 20.1 innings. Morton will try to turn things around in his next trip to the mound, which lines up to come on the road next week in Milwaukee.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Collects quality start Saturday
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Morton came away with a no-decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four.
The matinee of the twin bill saw a pitchers' duel between two veteran right-handers, as both Morton and Kyle Gibson recorded one-run quality starts in an eventual 3-2 extra-inning win for Atlanta. Morton's quality start was his eighth of the year, but the 40-year-old isn't racking up the Ks like he used to -- he's fanned five batters or less in four of his last five starts, managing a 3.94 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB over 29.2 innings during that stretch. He lines up to make his next trip to the mound on the road next week against the Mets.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Allows two homers in no-decision
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Morton did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing four runs on five hits over 6.1 innings while striking out five.
Most of the damage against Morton came in the second and third innings when the veteran surrendered home runs to Eugenio Suarez and Ketel Marte. The right-hander would then cruise through the next three frames before being relieved by Pierce Johnson with one out in the seventh, though a fourth run ended up being charged to Morton's ledger. The 40-year-old has now allowed two home runs in back-to-back starts and has given up at least three runs in four of his last six outings. However, he's also tallied five or more strikeouts in three consecutive starts.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Takes fifth loss
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Morton (5-5) allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 5.1 innings to take the loss versus the Giants on Thursday.
Morton continues to alternate between good and bad starts, with this one not being particularly sharp. He threw 54 of 94 pitches for strikes and served up home runs to Heliot Ramos and Matt Chapman in the fourth inning. This was the first time all year Morton has been taken deep multiple times in a start. He's been generally effective with a 3.96 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 92:38 K:BB over 91 innings across 16 starts. The veteran right-hander is projected to make his next start at Arizona.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Carves up Pirates in victory
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Morton (5-4) earned the win Friday against Pittsburgh, throwing 6.1 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He allowed three hits and one walk.
The 40-year-old looked sharp over a 104-pitch outing, generating 15 whiffs -- including seven on his curveball alone -- to collect seven punchouts. Morton wrapped a successful June, firing a 3.10 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 28:13 K:BB across 29 innings. The Atlanta right-hander is slated to face the Giants at home in his next start.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Falters against Yankees
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Morton (4-4) allowed five runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to take the loss versus the Yankees on Saturday.
Morton matched his season high with the five walks, something he has done three times this year. He's also given up five or more runs in three of his last five outings. The 40-year-old has done a good job of eating innings, but the results have been mediocre -- he's at a 4.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 80:35 K:BB over 79.1 innings through 14 starts. Morton is projected to make his next start on the road versus the White Sox in a makeup game for a rainout from April 3.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Rebounds with win, quality start
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Morton (4-3) earned the win over Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight batters over six innings.
Morton had his swing-and-miss stuff working, racking up 22 whiffs among his 105 pitches. The veteran hurler fell behind by a run in the first inning but yielded only two hits while holding the Rays scoreless thereafter. This was a nice bounce-back for Morton after he surrendered five runs (four earned) over five innings against Washington in his previous start. Saturday's victory was his first since May 10, and it was just his second quality start across six outings during that span.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Rebounds against A's
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Morton didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Oakland, allowing one hit and five walks with six strikeouts across six scoreless innings.
During his last start, Morton was hammered for 12 hits and eight runs by the Nationals. He did a complete 180 on Sunday, yielding one hit and delivering his first scoreless start since April 27. However, it wasn't a perfect outing, as Morton tied his season high in walks and hit the strike zone on just 58 of his 97 pitches. Over 62.2 innings, Morton owns a 3.88 ERA with a 65:28 K:BB, and he's scheduled for a rematch with the Nationals in Washington on Saturday.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Yields eight runs in loss
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Morton (3-2) took the loss Monday against Washington, allowing eight runs on 12 hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out seven.
The 40-year-old Morton allowed a career-high 12 hits in this start as the Nationals laced eight singles, three doubles and one homer. However, he also managed to generate an impressive 18 whiffs en route to his seven punchouts. Overall, the Atlanta veteran owns a 4.29 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 59:23 K:BB in 56.2 innings this season. Morton is currently slated to face Oakland at home in his next start.
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Braves' Charlie Morton: Effective in no-decision
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Morton did not factor into the decision Friday against the Dodgers, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five.
Morton held the vaunted Dodgers lineup in check, delivering his third straight quality start. Over those three starts, the 40-year-old has thrown 19 innings with a 1.89 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB. Morton is slated to face the Mets on the road in his next start.
