Sun Apr 27 12:57:56 2008

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Pirates release veteran Morris

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Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Sunday that they have released struggling veteran right-hander Matt Morris, less than a year after acquiring him in a midseason trade.

Morris, who came to Pittsburgh from San Francisco late in the 2007 season, started the 2008 campaign 0-4 with a 9.67 earned run average. Cutting Morris will cost the Pirates more than $10 million, in addition to what they have already paid him for this season.

In fewer than three months of action with the Pirates, Morris compiled a 3-8 record and a 7.04 ERA in 16 starts. His final outing came Saturday, when he allowed six runs -- three of which were earned -- in a 1 2/3-inning start against the Phillies.

In 11 major league seasons, the 33-year-old righty owns a 121-92 record and a 3.98 ERA. He spent the majority of his career with St. Louis, going a personal-best 22-8 in 2001 and averaging close to 16 wins per season with the Cardinals from 2001 to 2005.

Rather than keeping Morris -- who hinted he may retire -- on the active roster as a reliever, Pittsburgh opted to recall right-hander John Van Benschoten from Triple-A Indianapolis.