Pirates send Gorzelanny to minors Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Pirates optioned pitcher Tom
Gorzelanny to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, a day after he struggled in
his start against Milwaukee.
On Friday, Gorzelanny gave up eight runs -- seven earned -- on 11 hits in 4
2/3 frames, as the Pirates dropped the 9-1 decision to the Brewers.
Prior to that start, Gorzelanny had thrown at least six innings in each of his
previous three starts and not given up more than four runs. But his
inconsistency this season has resulted in a 6-7 record and 6.57 earned-run
average in 17 starts.
Nate McLouth returned to the lineup on Saturday after a bout with the stomach flu, but he went 0-for-4 dropping his average to .278.
Our View:McLouth is hitting .203 with just one home run over his last 16 games as the early season gravy train has almost completely dried up. He wasn't that good, and he isn't this bad, so look for his production to normalize in the coming weeks.
Paul Maholm pitched eight excellent innings on Saturday though he picked up a no-decision after engaging in a pitching battle with David Bush. Both pitchers went eight innings and allowed just a single run, with Maholm walking one and striking out six.
Our View:Maholm continues to bring his ERA down with his fourth straight quality start for the Pirates (4.05). He still comes with some risk as he doesn't have a true "out pitch", but he is on a solid roll right now.
John Van Benschoten appears to be the most obvious choice to fill the rotation spot of the recently demoted Tom Gorzelanny, according to MLB.com. "It's John Van Benschoten's time," GM Neal Huntington said. "We need someone to step up and take that spot and run with it and become a Major League pitcher. John is going to get that first chance."
Our View:Van Benschoten was 7-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 12 Triple-A starts this year and becomes a potential option in NL only leagues starting Wednesday when he is in line for the start.
