Anatomy of an At Bat: Brandon Morrow vs. Alex Rodriguez

Situation: Sunday afternoon. Mariners lead 2-1, bottom of the 8th, runners on 1st and 2nd, the majors' leading home run hitter at the plate.

0-0: Morrow tries to be sneaky and drop a curveball over for strike one (you'll recall he tried the same thing in a critical situation against Jermaine Dye last homestand). He misses. Ball one.

1-0: Morrow must throw a fastball here. A-Rod knows it, and Morrow knows he knows. It's rear back and throw time. Morrow hurtles a 97 mph fastball right down the middle, waist high. A-Rod can't catch up. Strike one.

1-1: Now Morrow tries to push A-Rod off the plate, setting him up for the fastball away. This fastball is inside, A-Rod takes it. Ball two.

2-1: Morrow needs another strike, he throws a 95 mph heater on the inside corner. A-Rod swings through it. Strike two.

2-2: Morrow tries to get A-Rod to chase an low outside fastball, but he's too low. A-Rod has a great eye. He takes the pitch. Ball three.

3-2: A-Rod's in a tough spot. Morrow's been close both inside and outside, and he's got to have that pitch one breaking ball in the back of his mind. Burke sets up inside, but Morrow misses. Luckily, he misses in an unhittable place, on the outside corner at the knees. Morrow's 95 mph heater is close enough that A-Rod has to swing, and he can't catch up to it. Strike three.

It's Morrow's 14th K of the year in 13 innings. A-Rod went 2-12 in the series. M's won, 2-1.