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Through four appearances (and one start) this Spring, veteran lefty Tommy Milone has tossed eight scoreless innings, walking one batter, striking out seven, and holding the opposition to a combined .107 AVG.
Milone, 31, is, of course, a 2008 10th Round pick by Washington’s Nationals, who debuted in D.C. back in 2011 and was traded to the Oakland A’s after that season in the 4-for-2 deal that brought Gio Gonzalez to the nation’s capital.
Since then, the left-hander has pitched for the Athletics, Twins, Brewers, and Mets. He signed a minor league deal with the Nationals back on December 16th, and is in Florida competing for a spot on the Nats’ Opening Day roster, though he’s viewed as depth for the Nats, with A.J. Cole, currently the frontrunner for the fifth spot in the rotation, out of options, and Erick Fedde, the top right-handed prospect in the organization, impressing this Spring after debuting in the majors last year.
Will Milone earn a spot in the rotation or bullpen? Or will he end up starting the season in Triple-A? The second scenario seems more likely, but Milone is doing what he can to make the decision a tough one for Nationals’ skipper Dave Martinez and his staff.
In 17 games (eight starts) between Milwaukee and New York in 2017, the southpaw was (1-3) with a 7.63 ERA, 6.49 FIP, 14 walks (2.61 BB/9), 38 Ks (7.08 K/9), and a .317/.361/.610 line against in 48 1⁄3 IP as a starter.
Milone makes his second start of the Spring this afternoon when the Nationals host the Houston Astros in their shared Spring Training facility, West Palm Beach, FL’s FITTEAM Ballpark of the Palm Beaches at 1:05 PM EDT.
HERE’S THE NATIONALS’ LINEUP FOR TODAY’S GAME VS THE ASTROS:
#Nats vs #Astros at 1:05 PM today (radio only via MLB dot com): Turner SS, Kendrick 2B, Harper RF, Rendon 3B, Wieters C, Adams 1B, Robles CF, Raburn LF, Difo DH, Milone LHP
— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) March 15, 2018