MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -The Minnesota Twins have given up on Sidney Ponson.
The right-hander, trying to revive his career and move past a number of alcohol-related problems, was designated for assignment on Sunday. The Twins held off on replacing Ponson in the rotation, using the open roster spot to recall Garrett Jones – a first baseman and right fielder – from Triple-A Rochester.
Ponson (2-5) gave up six runs – five earned – and six hits in four innings during an 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night, the Twins’ fourth straight defeat and eighth in 10 games. He said he expected his release after his latest struggle.
“Everybody wants to win,” Ponson said. “They have to make a move. It happens. I’m fine with it.”
The Twins signed the 30-year-old this winter to a $1 million, one-year contract, hoping he could provide some stability at the back end of an unproven rotation.
But Ponson struggled to keep opposing hitters off base, allowing 74 runners in just 37 2-3 innings this season. He had a 6.93 ERA and walked 17 batters in seven starts. Though he had some bad luck, Ponson wasn’t good enough to pitch out of trouble, either. Manager Ron Gardenhire said the hope was to “catch lightning in a bottle” each time he took the mound.
The only spot for Ponson with Rochester is in the bullpen, so he won’t go there. The native of Aruba said he will head to his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and hope for a call from another major league club.
“If nothing happens, nothing happens. No problem. I’ll just go sit on the beach,” he said. “If I do have a chance, I’ll go full steam again and see what happens.”
In trouble before for drunken driving and fighting during an up-and-down tenure with the Baltimore Orioles, his original team, Ponson vowed this spring that his life was in order. And the Twins objected only to his ERA and high walk total, not his attitude or off-the-field habits.
“We had a ball with him. His past was his past,” manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Though Ponson pitched poorly, offense has been the biggest lag for this slumping team lately. Jones – who was batting .305 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 114 at-bats for Rochester – is the type of hitter the Twins are lacking. He has never, however, appeared in the majors before.
“Put him in the lineup and let him swing,” Gardenhire said. “He can drive the baseball.”
With no game scheduled for Monday, the Twins don’t have to add another pitcher until Saturday’s game at Milwaukee. Left-hander Glen Perkins has been throwing well in long relief, but Gardenhire said the staff wants to keep him in that role. That means one of three right-handers – Scott Baker, Matt Garza or Kevin Slowey – will be brought up from Triple-A.
The Twins did not start 2006 smoothly, either, falling as low as 25-33 before an early June turnaround led to a dramatic comeback from a 12 1/2-game deficit to win the division on the regular season’s final day.
During the first week of that reversal, they broke up the left side of their infield – releasing third baseman Tony Batista and trading starting shortstop Juan Castro.
General manager Terry Ryan was hopeful that his team, 17-19 entering Sunday’s game, would find a spark again this time.
“There comes a time when you say we have to make a move,” he said.
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