Twins’ Milone Captures 2nd Consecutive IL Pitcher of Week Award

The Minnesota Twins are having a surprisingly great season. While they sit at 25-18 in second place of the American League Central, their Triple-A counterpart, the Rochester Red Wings are sitting atop the International League North Division with a nearly identical 25-19 record. It is in large part due to Tommy Milone. 

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Milone has had an up and down career across the Majors. He held his own as a quality fifth starter for the Oakland As — where he went 31-22 with a 3.84 ERA over two and a half seasons — before being traded to the Twins for Sam Fuld halfway through 2014. Malone struggled a bit after coming to the Twin Cities.

After 4 starts to kick off the 2015 season with the Twins — in which he posted a 4.76 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP, and a frightening 13 strikeouts to 11 walks ratio — Milone was sent to Triple-A. He has been absolutely unconscious since then.

The 28-year old left hander has just wrapped up his second consecutive International League Pitcher of the Week Award. Malone started off the week with a complete game shut out over the Durham Bulls. He allowed six hits and no walks while striking out 13. It was his second consecutive no walk, double-digit strikeout shutout performance. 

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Milone concluded the week nearly throwing his second consecutive complete game shutout of the week. He went 8.1 innings before allowing his first run since being demoted to Rochester, ending his 31.2 scoreless streak. He struck out eight more batters and walked none.

Milone now sits at 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA, a 0.69 WHIP and 41 strikeouts over 31. 2 innings with a whopping TWO walks. Now with two IL Pitcher of the Week Awards should be heading back to the bigs soon, right? Paul Molitor, the Twins’ rookie skipper, says not so fast.

"“He’s been communicated with about the fact that we know what he’s doing,” Twins manager Paul Molitor told Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. “We are paying attention and we are in a little bit of a holding pattern up here because the guys we have up here are holding their own. I think he understands that.”"

Milone definitely has a chip on his shoulder, trying to prove that he belongs back in Minnesota. While Molitor is right that his pitchers are succeeding right now, it must be a huge confidence boost to have Milone waiting in the wings should Mike Pelfrey or Ricky Nolasco begin to struggle as they have in the past. It won’t be next week, but if Milone keeps this up, he will be back in the rotation soon enough.