Wilk's First Performance Might Lead To An Encore
Will Detroit management have to change its mind about whom to send down when Andy Oliver is pulled up Saturday to pitch against Boston?
The intimated candidate, Adam Wilk, made his major league debut and performed well, allowing only an unearned run in 3 2/3 innings while allowing two hits on Thursday.
His two successors, Ryan Perry and Enrique Gonzalez, were pounded as Boston beat Detroit, 14-1, in a game shortened by rain to 7 1/2 innings.
Perry still is having problems throwing quality strikes and too many of his fastballs are in the fat part of the strike zone, while his slider hangs up in the zone too often.
Gonzalez did a decent job late last season in long relief and looked good in spring training, but once the games began to count he gave up runs like they were Halloween candy.
Recently brought back after being sent outright to the minors earlier in the season, Gonzalez enriched an already plump ERA by allowing two runs in the eighth inning.
Earlier in the week another left-hander, Charlie Furbush, threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Wilk and Furbush aren't the classic hard throwers Detroit favors for its bullpen but Perry was rushed to the majors and now is not getting consistent innings, because he's inconsistent.
Perry has been asked to throw almost daily in the bullpen, but allowed four runs on four hits while getting four outs against Boston.
Oliver flopped in a five-start cameo last year and knew his secondary pitches needed sharpening up for his next trial. They were better this spring and now he will find out in two starts for injured Phil Coke whether they are sharp enough.
Detroit has not said officially who will go down when Oliver comes up, but manager Jim Leyland initially said Wilk was here "temporarily" when brought up.
But two effective appearances by the rookie southpaws in their major league debuts, and the fact nobody had seen them before was a big factor in their favor, and two flops by veterans might have the club rethinking its options.
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