CINCINNATI (AP) -Left-hander Eric Milton went on the 15-day disabled list with an inflamed elbow Wednesday, the second year in a row that the Cincinnati Reds starter has been hampered by elbow problems.
Milton told the team about his sore elbow after he pitched 5 1-3 innings in a 7-6 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night. A medical test on Wednesday detected inflammation.
The Reds reinstated right-handed reliever Jared Burton off the disabled list to take his spot. Burton has been sidelined since April 8 with a strained hamstring. The move leaves the Reds with eight relievers for now.
General manager Wayne Krivsky said the Reds would wait until the weekend to decide who will start in Milton’s spot on Sunday in Los Angeles. Several starters are pitching well at Triple-A Louisville.
The Reds had hoped the 31-year-old Milton would finally put together a solid season in his last year under contract. Former general manager Dan O’Brien signed him to a three-year, $25.5 million deal before the 2005 season.
Milton is 0-4 with a 5.17 ERA in six starts this season. In his three years with Cincinnati, the left-hander is 16-27.
Milton had season-ending surgery to clean out the left elbow last Sept. 22. He had given no indication of a problem until after the game Tuesday.
“His velocity looked the same to me,” Krivsky said. “He just went in after the game and complained that it hurt a little bit. We’ll probably shut him down for seven to 10 days.”
Milton opened the season on the disabled list after having back spasms before his final scheduled start of spring training. When he came off the DL, manager Jerry Narron demoted him to the fifth spot in the rotation.
Narron has seen improvement in Milton this season – only four homers allowed in six starts. The home run has been Milton’s biggest problem the last two seasons. He gave up an NL-leading 40 homers in 2005.
“I think he has actually pitched better than he has the last two years,” Narron said. “He’s really worked on sinking the ball, changing speeds and keeping the ball down.
“I also know he has not gotten the complete results he has wanted. I’m not trying to make it sound like he’s 6-0. He’s not. But he’s pitching better than he has in the past.”
Louisville’s Bobby Livingston would be on schedule to start Sunday. The left-hander allowed five runs in 6 1-3 innings for Louisville on Tuesday night, leaving him 0-3 with a 3.22 ERA.
Livingston was in the competition for the final spot in the rotation until the Reds made their final roster moves in spring training.
Right-hander Homer Bailey, the franchise’s top draft pick in June 2004, is 3-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts for Louisville. Although Krivsky didn’t rule out a promotion, he noted that Bailey’s pitching schedule wouldn’t coincide with Sunday’s opening.
“He just turned 21,” Krivsky said. “He’s still learning.”
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