NewsSwarzak set to make big league debut
Minnesota (20-23) vs. Milwaukee (26-16), 6:10 p.m. CT
Anthony Swarzak is filling a vacancy left by the injured Glen Perkins. (Getty)
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
05/23/09 3:00 AM ET
MINNESOTA -- Anthony Swarzak admits that sleep might not come easy for him Friday night. After all, it's not every night that you go to sleep preparing for your first Major League start. |
Swarzak will take the mound against the Brewers on Saturday, filling the rotation spot left vacant by Glen Perkins -- who went on the 15-day disabled list Monday with inflammation in his left elbow.
"I've been trying real hard," Swarzak said of calming his nerves. "As far as [Saturday] goes, I think I'm just going to have to do it on the fly. I don't think there is anything I'm going to be able to do to prepare myself for it. But I think I'll be all right." Twins manager Ron Gardenhire knows that jitters are there for any player in his big league debut. So he doesn't expect Swarzak to be any different Saturday night. "You try and relax him as much as you can," Gardenhire said. "You know he's going to feel it out there a little bit. He's going to be excited. Hopefully, he'll be able to gather himself and throw the ball over the plate and make them swing the bat." The Twins got their first long look at Swarzak, 23, this spring when he was invited to big league camp for the first time. The right-hander, a second round pick by the Twins in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, impressed with his ability to go after hitters while on the mound, but also with the quiet way he went about his work while trying to learn as much as he could in the short time he was there. "He's a tough-minded kid," Gardenhire said. "He was kind of on a mission in Spring Training. ... He's pretty serious about his work. Fundamentally, he did everything. He really worked his tail off." Swarzak feels he has learned a lot since his career was nearly sidetracked when he was suspended 50 games at the start of the 2007 season for violating Minor League Baseball's Drug Policy. One particular lesson he took into the 2009 season was not to try and look ahead at where he might be able to go that season. It's something he felt he did each of the past two seasons, when he began the year at the same level he had finished at the previous season. Both times, Swarzak suffered a slight regression when he returned to the same level. So when Swarzak went back to Triple-A Rochester again this year, he was determined not to endure the same problems. And he didn't, going 3-4 with a 2.25 ERA in seven starts for Rochester while earning the opportunity to be the first starter called up to fill a spot. "Once you start looking ahead, you forget about what is right in front of you," Swarzak said. "I think that's what happened to me last year in Double-A [New Britain]. So I learned that lesson, and I refuse to fall into that trap again. I just tried to get the hitters out in front of me no matter what level it was at. Now I'll try to do that here. We'll see what happens." Pitching matchupMIN: RHP Anthony Swarzak (Major League debut)
Swarzak will be making his first Major League start Saturday after being promoted from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday to fill in for injured starter Glen Perkins. He will likely make just one more start before Perkins returns from the 15-day disabled list. If the Twins like what they see, Swarzak might be in line for a relief role, Gardenhire said Wednesday. MIL: RHP Braden Looper (4-2, 4.26 ERA)
Facing his former team in St. Louis on Monday, Looper bounced back nicely from a pair of starts in which he had surrendered five runs in each. Looper worked six innings and surrendered three runs, only one of which was earned because of a pair of Brewers errors. Looper is 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA in his three road starts this season. He has made three appearances at the Metrodome, but all three were in relief before he moved into the Cardinals' rotation three years ago. He surrendered two runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings over those games. Tidbits
Third-base coach Scott Ullger was absent for Friday night's game against the Brewers. Ullger is attending his daughter Jenna's college graduation. He's expected to be back in time for the series finale with the Brewers on Sunday night. ... Alexi Casilla is batting .353 in 13 games for Rochester, but Gardenhire said that the reports are that Casilla isn't swinging as well as when he first was sent down. But Gardenhire said he's also been told Casilla has been playing hard and running balls out, which is a positive. ... The Twins are now 6-1 in their past seven games at the Metrodome. ... Joe Mauer saw his 14-game hit streak snapped in Friday night's 11-3 win over the Brewers. Mauer went 0-for-2 with two walks. Tickets
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• Sunday: Twins (Scott Baker, 1-5, 6.98) vs. Brewers (Dave Bush, 3-0, 3.74), 7:05 p.m. CT
• Monday: Twins (Francisco Liriano, 2-5, 6.04) vs. Red Sox (Brad Penny, 4-1, 6.07), 1:10 p.m. CT
• Tuesday: Twins (Nick Blackburn, 3-2, 3.83) vs. Red Sox (Jon Lester, 3-4, 5.91), 7:10 p.m. CT
Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
