Last week, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland admitted to the press that his bullpen had too many left-handed relievers. With the Tigers set to return home after a six-game road trip out west, that surplus will be reduced by at least one.
After Detroit’s 7-5 win over the Dodgers, the team announced that right-hander Ryan Perry would be recalled from Triple-A Toledo in time for Friday’s series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports. To make room on the active roster, lefty Adam Wilk — who’s only pitched three times in the past two weeks — is headed back to join the Mud Hens.
(Honestly, I thought Daniel Schlereth looked like an ideal candidate to be demoted after issuing five walks in his last two appearances, covering 2 2/3 innings. But he still has strikeout stuff, and the middle relief needs someone besides Al Alburquerque to bring the heat. Plus, the team has already used a minor league option on Wilk.)
Perry has pitched well since getting sent down almost a month ago. In eight appearances (covering 13 2/3 innings), he’s allowed just two runs and six hits with 14 strikeouts and three walks.
If Perry has straightened himself out and can pitch effectively, he and Alburquerque could form a pretty lethal tandem in the sixth and seventh innings (mixed in with Schlereth, David Purcey and Charlie Furbush).