By JOHN PERROTTO
PITTSBURGH — Charlie Morton can roll out of hotel bed this morning, walk across the parking lot and be in the Pirates’ clubhouse at PNC Park in less than 10 minutes as he gets ready for this afternoon’s start against the Kansas City Royals.
However, that is about the only thing easy for a player such as Morton, who was traded in the middle of the season.
Morton was playing for Atlanta’s Class AAA Gwinnett farm club when he was dealt along with two other minor-leaguers to the Pirates on June 3 for All-Star center fielder Nate McLouth. The right-handed pitcher immediately got on an airplane to Indianapolis and started for the Pirates’ Class AAA farm club the next night.
Less than a week later, Morton was recalled by the Pirates and hopped on another airplane for a flight to Atlanta. He was able to gather a few things at his suburban Atlanta apartment but has been living out of a suitcase for nearly a month.
He likely won’t get settled into permanent living quarters in Pittsburgh until after the All-Star break in two weeks.
“It’s tough because I had to go out and buy a bunch of new clothes,” Morton said. “I didn’t have really time to pack, and you only have so much room in your suitcase. Your life pretty much gets uprooted at the drop of a hat, but I’m not complaining. I’m in the major leagues, and that’s where you want to be.”
Though he is living in a hotel, Morton said he has been made to feel very welcome by the Pirates. Morton was most impressed when Pirates President Frank Coonelly made it a point to introduce himself before his first home game.
“He said they had been trying to trade for me for a long time,” Morton said. “That was really nice to hear.”
Word has it the only thing that kept the Pirates from trading left fielder Jason Bay to Atlanta rather than Boston last July was the Braves’ refusal to include Morton, who was then in their major-league rotation.
The Pirates would have received left-hander Jeff Locke, who they wound up getting in the McLouth trade, along with shortstop Brent Lillibridge and outfielder Brandon Jones. However, the Braves wanted to substitute a lesser pitcher for Morton.
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The Pirates’ first home series with Cleveland since 2003 this past week drew 69,391 for the three games. That wasn’t an eye-popping amount, but better than what the Pirates have been drawing on weeknights.
The attendance figures only strengthen the Pirates’ case with Major League Baseball that they should play the Indians every year. The Pirates have long pushed for a yearly “Turnpike Series” while the Indians have been more lukewarm about the idea.
Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington has been on both sides as he worked in the Indians’ front office, rising to assistant GM, before coming to Pittsburgh in 2007. He has become an advocate of the teams meeting annually.
“There’s a natural rivalry between the cities,” Huntington said. “It’s only a two-hour drive between the cities. If it’s on the weekend, there’s going to be a good turnout to see the games and the cities.”
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The younger brothers of Pirates relievers Tyler Yates and Craig Hansen will try to follow in their big brothers’ footsteps and be major-league pitchers.
Kirby Yates was signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent this past week and assigned to the Rays’ advanced rookie Princeton farm club after failing to be taken in the first-year player draft. Yates was 7-2 with a 4.61 ERA for Yavapai Community College in Prescott, Ariz., this year.
Kyle Hansen was taken in the 40th round of the draft by Milwaukee after starring at St. Dominic High School in Glen Cove, N.Y. Hansen has signed a letter of intent to play college ball at St. John’s, where Craig starred before being Boston’s first-round draft pick in 2005.
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Left-hander Tom Gorzelanny and right-hander Ian Snell appeared to be the Pirates’ co-aces when last season began but are now part of the starting rotation at Indianapolis. That is reminiscent of left-hander Oliver Perez, who won 12 games and struck out 239 for the Pirates in 2004 but was at Indianapolis by 2006.
Now with the New York Mets, Perez continues to be confounding. He is 1-2 with a 9.97 ERA in five starts this season after being re-signed to a three-year, $36-million contract over the winter as a free agent.
Perez, who has been on the disabled list since May 3 with knee tendinitis, made his first start for high Class A St. Lucie this past week on a rehabilitation assignment and was rocked for six runs and seven hits in three innings. Though Perez is healthy, General Manager Omar Minaya said, “he isn’t close to coming back and helping us.”
