It seems no matter how deep into his career he goes, Charlie Morton finds a way to be, or return to being, a key cog in a rotation. In his start for the Tigers on Wednesday, the former Atlanta Braves mainstay pitched six innings of two-run ball against the Astros, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out eight.
8 K day for Charlie Morton đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/F1J1wUZCPI
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 20, 2025
It’s his second-highest strikeout total in a game this season, only trailing three 10-strikeout performances. Six of his strikeouts came on the curveball, and two came on the sinker.
Even if the Astros haven’t been the same tough lineup they’ve been in the past, they’re still a fellow division leader, sitting atop the American League West. Before he corrected course earlier this season, a weaker lineup would have caused him trouble.
Even at 41 years old, he’s able to make the necessary adjustments to succeed on the mound and be desired as a trade deadline acquisition.
Since rejoining the starting rotation on May 26, Morton has a 3.81 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings pitched. His ERA is a bit inflated by two outings where he allowed six runs or more. Remove those two games, and he has a 2.90 ERA in 12 starts. It paints a better picture of how well he’s been pitching lately.
In four starts for the Tigers after joining them at the deadline, he’s had a 3.63 ERA. The Tigers are 2-2 in his starts, but he pitched well enough for them to be 3-1. They were shut out 2-0 in his team debut.
His turnaround has rewarded him with getting to be with a Tigers team running away with the American League Central and another shot at another postseason run. While he’s been on a team that’s reached the playoffs every season since 2017, he hasn’t pitched in a postseason game since 2022.
At the end of 2023, he was hurt, and last season, he simply didn’t get the chance to get on the mound. The Braves were swept out of the MLB Wild Card series in two games.
If stays healthy and effective, that next chance is going to come.
The Braves have certainly felt his absence from the rotation this season. He gave them at least 30 starts over each of the last four seasons before leaving in free agency. Even if his season went exactly the same this year, in Atlanta, the rotation still would have had another reliable arm since late May, something that has been harder to come by as injuries pile up.
The best Braves fans can do is just be happy that he’s out there still looking sharp.
