Morton and Russell Strike Again

Reds 8 - Pirates 2. Reds bat around in an inning not once, but twice, against Charlie Morton. Morton goes to 1-9 with a 9.35 ERA. In a radio sound bite heard this morning, John Russell states that Morton "continues to make progress" and that, yes, he will continue to stay in the rotation.

First observation: If Morton is going to be an effective pitcher one day - and we all know he has "great stuff" - what is accomplished by having him serve up batting practice to the National League start after start? I fear that his confidence will be completely shattered by what he is going through to the point that he may never recover. Forget about how Morton is killing the Pirates right now, and consider the fact that the Pirates might be killing him.

Second observation: Whatever credibility that John Russell and by extension, Neal Huntington, had with he Pirates fan base erodes further and further every time Morton starts a game, and every time JR makes an inane comment such as the one cited above.

Third observation: Why are Aki Iwamura and Jeff Clement still on the roster, much less playing in games on a regular basis? (See above comment re "credibility.")