BALTIMORE -- It's always good to reach a career high at midseason.
Logan Morrison did just that when he connected for his second homer during the Rays' 10-3 win Saturday afternoon at Orioles Park at Camden Yards.
Morrison's first home run came against Dylan Bundy in the first inning with a man aboard and put the Rays up 3-0. He connected off Bundy again in the third, giving him 24 for the season and establishing a new career high. He hit 23 for the Marlins in 2011.
"I don't really put any thoughts into [reaching a career high]," said Morrison, who had a down season for the Rays in 2016 before resigning with the team for 2017. "It's more just that I know I can play in the big leagues. Given the opportunity, eventually it was going to happen. I'm really, really thankful to the Rays. They gave me an opportunity when nobody else would. I owe them a lot."
Morrison had close to 900 feet of home runs as both were barreled balls.
The first traveled an estimated 435 feet to center field and had an exit velocity of 108.2 mph with a 20-degree launch angle according to Statcast™. His second traveled 422 feet over the right-field wall and onto Eutaw Street. That one had a 108.6 exit velocity with a 31-degree launch angle.
Morrison's blast to Eutaw Street was the 91st in the history of Orioles Park at Camden Yards and the 51st by an opposing player.
"On the bench, we were amazed at how far it went," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "But then you sit there and realize that people have hit the ball off the warehouse before. I mean, Lo-Mo's was impressive, but [Ken Griffey Jr.] hit it off the warehouse at the All-Star Game. Pretty impressive stat, feat, whatever you want to call it."
Morrison smiled when told of Cash's remark, and noted that Griffey Jr.'s home run didn't occur during a game.
"He might need to know all the facts surrounding that," Morrison said.
Morrison has now hit multiple home runs in a game six times during his career, twice this season. It ended a personal drought of six games without a long ball.
"Just staying with it," Morrison said. "[Hitting homers can be] a difference of centimeters. You make contact with the ball. Just continue to stay with it and hopefully I'm able to continue hitting the ball in the air and it goes out for me."
Cash said Morrison is "having a special season, without a doubt."
"I would love to see him get into the All-Star Game, that's for sure," Cash said. "Lo-Mo does everything, you know, offensively, above and beyond. But the way he plays the game. He busts it down the line when he hits a ground ball. He's going after popups everywhere. He's just a baseball player. He's a gamer and wants to win as bad as anybody on our team right now."