Oakland A's demote starting pitcher Tommy Milone
By John Hickey
08/03/2013 12:58 PM
OAKLAND — The A's demoted left-hander Tommy Milone to the minors on Saturday, as the result of a poor start against the Texas Rangers the night before.
Milone was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento, with Evan Scribner recalled because the A's needed bullpen depth after Dan Otero threw 3 1/3 innings of relief Friday night.
It didn't help that Milone's ERA has been steadily climbing, from 3.13 on May 7 to its current 4.39.
"It's a little of both," manager Bob Melvin said in explaining the move. "We didn't want to get caught short if we go extra innings. And Tommy has been giving up a lot of hits. Maybe his command isn't quite like it was before. And he's given up some home runs."
The A's have two days off in the next week, so they can skip Milone's spot in the rotation for one turn. They would next need a pitcher for that spot in the rotation on Aug. 12, by which time he'd be eligible to be recalled if the A's so desire.
Milone is 9-9 in his second big league season after going 13-10 in his first full big league season last year. With Brett Anderson on the disabled list he's the only left-hander in the A's rotation.
"Tommy is still a big part of this team," Melvin said. "He's still pretty good. He's just not here right now."
Scribner was in his hotel room in Sacramento when he got the call from Melvin.
"He said they needed me today, to pack and get down here," Scribner said. "It's fun to pack up your whole life in an hour. And I still made it in time for stretch."
Scribner, who began the season with the A's, is up for the third time this season. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues since May 10 when he was optioned to Sacramento.
Scribner, 27, was 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA for the River Cats this year, pitching mostly in setup relief.