PITTSBURGH— Speedy or spotted — which is the better fastball?

Matt Morris would love to have either. Right now, the 33-year-old Pirates right-hander has neither.

"I have a lot of faith in myself, a lot of positive thoughts. ... I was mentally ready to go,"Morris said of his start Monday night against Florida.

"Then I go out on the rubber and pitch probably the worst game I've ever pitched."

Morris threw 99 pitches in four innings Monday, surrendering eight runs on nine hits. Two of the hits were home runs. Five of the hits were doubles.

"As difficult as that was to watch, it was 10 times more difficult for me to go through it,"Morris said.

Through his first four starts this season, Morris has thrown only 20X\c innings — barely five innings per start — and has allowed 21 runs on 35 hits.

His earned run average ballooned to 9.21 and his record dropped to 0-3.

Earning $10 million this year as the Pirates' highest paid player, Morris is 3-7 in 15 starts since joining the club in a trade with San Francisco for outfielder Rajai Davis at last year's trade deadline.

The only consolation for the Pirates is that Davis was recently demoted to Class AAAwith a .056 batting average.

"We haven't even had that conversation and one's not planned in the near future," Pirates manager John Russell said about the possibility of releasing Morris or sending him to the bullpen.

"He's working with Andy (pitching coach Jeff Andrews), and he had a more aggressive approach tonight. He just wasn't putting his pitches where he wanted.

"Matt kept falling behind hitters. When you're behind deep in the count, you're going to get hit at this level."

Morris has been getting hit since the year began. In six spring training appearances, he allowed 45 hits and 22 earned runs in 24X\c innings, an 8.32 ERA.

His fastball Monday topped out at 85 mph

"I don't think velocity should matter,"Morris said. "Getting consistency with your pitches is bigger than velocity."

Russell agreed.

"How hard he's throwing means nothing,"Russell said. "He has to get better command of his fastball. He has to hit his spots.

"If you're not throwing the ball where you want to, nothing else matters."

While the 8,000 fans Monday night at PNCPark lustily booed Morris and calls to postgame talk shows called for his release, the veteran has won 99 National League games since 2001. Only Roy Oswalt and Greg Maddux have won more.

Morris also ranks fifth in the NLinnings pitched with 1,400 since 2001. Yet he has thrown more than five innings just once in his first four starts this year.

"I believe the pitches are in me,"he said. "I should be able to execute on the mound. It's a mystery to me what's going on.

"It's hard to be happy right now. It's not clicking for me. But that doesn't mean things won't change."