Now that Pedro Hernandez has been demoted, who will the Twins call up to be their 5th starter?
The answer came this morning: World Baseball Classic hero Samuel Deduno. Manager Ron Gardenhire says he’ll get the start Friday night in Detroit.
Manager Ron Gardenhire said WBC hero RHP Samuel Deduno will start Friday for the @Twins in Detroit.
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) May 21, 2013
Deduno’s promotion means Kyle Gibson and P.J. Walters will stay in Triple-A Rochester for now. They were the other two starters in line for a promotion.
Walters is 4-0 in his last six starts, with a 2.08 ERA.
Gibson, who many thought would get the call, has tossed two complete-game shutouts in his last three starts.
Why Deduno over Gibson? Gardenhire told Sirius radio it’s a matter of consistency:
“We’re looking for him to get some consistency and back it up with another one,” Gardenhire said. “He’s going to pitch in our rotation. He’s the kind of kid you bring up here you don’t want to end up sending back down. They’re giving him a little time. Deduno has been throwing really well. He has that hard breaking ball, puts a little fear in the eyes of the hitter.”
Deduno, who started 15 games for the Twins last season, has been rehabbing in Rochester after pulling his groin in spring training. In three starts with the Red Wings, he has a 2.70 ERA in 16-plus innings.
