Twins bump struggling Milone to 'pen in favor of Meyer
The Minnesota Twins' rough start to the season continued Friday with manager Paul Molitor's announcement that Tommy Milone is headed to the bullpen.
With Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson on the disabled list, Milone's demotion means the club is already down three starters from one of baseball's most mediocre rotations.
| Pitcher | GS | W-L | IP | ERA | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Gibson (DL) | 4 | 0-3 | 20.2 | 6.10 | .282 |
| E. Santana (DL) | 4 | 0-1 | 20.0 | 3.15 | .263 |
| R. Nolasco | 4 | 1-0 | 27.2 | 3.25 | .216 |
| P. Hughes | 4 | 1-3 | 25.1 | 3.91 | .253 |
| T. Milone (Bullpen) | 4 | 0-1 | 20.0 | 5.40 | .308 |
| J. Berrios | 1 | 0-1 | 4.0 | 11.25 | .353 |
| T. Duffey | 1 | 0-0 | 4.0 | 2.25 | .294 |
Milone has surrendered four homers on 24 hits this season while making it to the sixth inning once in four starts. He's available out of the bullpen Friday.
"With the kind of stuff he brings, we all know he has to be on with all his pitches," Molitor said, according to 1500ESPN's Derek Wetmore. He added, "He's a valuable guy, it's just right now I think our team shapes up better - I think we're better off - putting him out in the bullpen for a while."
Twins starters currently have two wins, the worst in the majors, to go with an inflated 4.44 ERA. The team even called up top prospect Jose Berrios, but he was hit around, giving up five runs in a four-inning assault by the Cleveland Indians.
In Milone's place, Ricky Nolasco will start Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, while Alex Meyer will move into the rotation and start Tuesday against the Houston Astros.
Meyer will remain in a long-relief role until his start, after which he and Milone will swap duties.