Orioles-Athletics preview
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Ross Detwiler had a nightmare season in 2015, going a combined 1-5 with a 7.25 ERA for the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves, and this year he made seven relief appearances for the Cleveland Indians before being sent to Triple-A Columbus.
Detwiler's baseball career was in a tailspin, but he has been on an upswing ever since a trade to the Oakland A's on July 17.
Detwiler went 4-0 in with a 3.86 ERA in four games, including three starts, for Triple-A Nashville. He will be recalled Wednesday to start for the A's against the Baltimore Orioles and Yovani Gallardo.
"It's been kind of a journey this year, but I kind of found a new love for the game a bit once I got to this organization," Detwiler said Tuesday before the Athletics' 2-1 victory against Baltimore. "I've had fun and I've been successful so I'm really excited to get the opportunity up here.
"Everybody in Nashville is just loose and had fun. I wouldn't say it was a chore before, but you just went to the field and it was a job. And now it's fun and they're winning a lot down there. It's a good team and a good group of guys. It kind of says a lot about the organization."
Detwiler has appeared in 180 major league games over nine seasons with 76 starts. He has made only seven big-league starts over the past three seasons, but he has spent most of this season at Triple-A as a starter, his preferred role.
"As a reliever you just don't really know when you're throwing," Detwiler said. "I'm a person that's always kind of had my own routine. Relieving was tough for me. Once I started again, I got back on a routine. I felt good about it. I was able to carry the routine over once I got traded over here. It's been working for me so I'm going to stick with it."
Gallardo (4-3) will make his 15th start of the season. He's coming off a solid outing Friday in a 7-5 victory against the Chicago White Sox. Gallardo allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out three and walked one.
"Yovani's a professional," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "None of us are what we were at 24, 25, but he's a guy that knows how to pitch. Once he got through some of the physical problems he had, he has really kept us engaged in the competitive part of the game, and that's really what you ask from starters in the American League."
Gallardo went 13-11 with a 3.42 ERA last season for Texas before coming to Baltimore in a Jan. 19 trade. Before that, he went 89-64 with a 3.69 ERA from 2007-2014 for Milwaukee.
The A's won the first two games in the series. They beat the powerful Orioles 3-2 on Monday night when Kendall Graveman allowed one run over seven innings. Then on Tuesday night, Zach Neal moved from the bullpen to the rotation and gave up one run on two hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Detwiler is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in seven career appearances, including four starts, against Baltimore. He'll enter Wednesday's start, however, with renewed confidence.
"There's been kind of a resurgence in my off-speed (pitches), mostly my curveball," Detwiler said. "I've been able to throw it for strikes and bounce it a few times. I think that's why my strikeout numbers are up a little bit this year."
