FORT MYERS, FLA. – The Twins on Tuesday had no reason to regret naming Tommy Milone their fifth starter.
Milone sharp, Escobar slugs as Twins beat Yankees 3-1
April 1, 2015 at 5:52AM
Milone made it look easy, pitching six strong innings during the Twins' 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees at Hammond Stadium. The lefthander, named the fifth starter Saturday, gave up one run on four hits and two walks while striking out five. Milone lowered his spring training ERA to 3.60 over five starts and 20 innings.
"I was kind of throwing everything up there the first few innings, trying to figure out what I can throw for strikes consistently," he said.
After giving up an RBI single to Ramon Flores in the fourth, Milone retired the final six batters he faced, ending his 94-pitch outing with a strikeout of Andrew Romine.
"The last two innings I started feeling more comfortable," Milone said. "I used my fastball in and out, curveball. It really was a mixed effort today."
Milone will remain in Fort Myers while the team heads to Detroit to start the season. He will pitch in a minor league game Sunday so he can stay on track to start April 11 against the White Sox in Chicago.
Eduardo Escobar drove in two runs for the Twins, including a solo home run in the sixth off Yankees righthander Masahiro Tanaka.
La VELLE E. NEAL III
The eight Twins headed for arbitration are Royce Lewis, Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran, Bailey Ober, Ryan Jeffers, Willi Castro, Griffin Jax and Trevor Larnach.
