On the heels of a game where he only retired 1 for the 4 batters he faced while protecting a 5 run lead, Ryan Perry has been optioned to Toledo. Unlike his last optional assignment where he was squeezed by roster maneuvering, this one seems to imply the Tigers have some things they’d like him to work on.
Perry has faced 27 batters his last 4 games and 13 of them have reached base, and 2 of the 11 hits were long balls. What is somewhat surprising is that the 2 walks he issued yesterday were the only 2 he’s allowed in this rough patch and 65% of his pitches have been for strikes. But he is getting hit.
For those wondering about why Perry and not Robertson, I’d guess it is because the club thinks Perry can improve by going to Toledo whereas Robertson is what he is at this point. Sadly he’s been worse than Perry over a comparable stretch with 50% of the batters Robertson has faced over his last 7 having reached base. I can’t imagine that Nate has much more leash left.
The Tigers didn’t announce a corresponding roster move and likely won’t formally announce a move until Tuesday.
Will we see the first appearance of the year for Freddy Dolsi or first call-up with Casey Fien?
good move…he has been struggling…let him work on stuff….he will be back
I’m pulling for Fu-Te Ni, but mostly because it sounds like something an Ewok would say. Please tell me someone else’s brain makes that jump when ever they hear his name.
Fu-Te Ni has been lights out
Rapada is another option, I guess
Both Fien and Dolsi have struggled quite a bit this season in AAA.
Cody Satterwhite has been solid in Erie. It would be a hell of a jump but I’m betting that his name at least gets mentioned.
Perry has some learning and maturing to do. There will be less pressure at Toledo and they should take their time and get it right before bringing him back. Even if he doesn’t return before rosters expand, it shouldn’t be seen as a big deal – the guy has a future. In the meantime, the Tigers bullpen is in desparate need of pitchers who can throw strikes. As far as the Robertson end of the equation goes, check out an interesting theory at the Detroit Tigers Thoughts blog: http://tigers-thoughts.blogspot.com/
Ni and Rapada have both been pitching well but they are both left handed. What the team needs in the pen right now is a right hander who will throw strikes and not give out walks. That’s why they shipped out Perry and why i figured either Dolsi or Fien. I was personally hoping for Fien based on the better strikeout numbers but hopefully Freddy will come up strong.
I’m OK with this roster move. Perry simply cannot be trusted to throw strikes right now. He’s got a litle bit of “Wild Thing” in him and a manager just cannot tolerate in the seventh inning of a close game. Perry needs to spend a good chunk of time in Toledo (at least a month) working on his mechanics and getting a more consistent release point or whatever it is that causes him to have bouts of wildness.