MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -The Minnesota Twins have given up on Sidney Ponson.
The right-hander said Sunday that he has been released, and he cleared out his locker and said goodbye to teammates one day after his latest disappointing outing.
Ponson (2-5) gave up six runs – five earned – and six hits in just four innings during an 8-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night, the Twins’ fourth straight defeat and eighth in 10 games.
The Twins signed the 30-year-old starter to a one-year deal in the offseason, hoping the veteran could provide some stability at the back end of an unproven rotation.
But Ponson struggled to keep opposing hitters off the base paths, allowing 74 runners in just 37 2-3 innings pitched this season. He has a 6.93 ERA and walked 17 batters in seven starts, an alarming number for a Twins coaching staff that abhors walks.
Ponson said he will head to his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and hope for another call from a major league club.
“I’m just going to go home and wait,” Ponson said. “If nothing happens, nothing happens. No problem. I’ll just go sit on the beach. … If I do have a chance, I’ll go full steam again and see what happens.”
Twins GM Terry Ryan and manager Ron Gardenhire were not immediately available for comment. They have several options to replace Ponson in the fifth spot in the rotation. Left-hander Glen Perkins has pitched well out of the bullpen this season, and he took over for Ponson on Saturday night, allowing two runs on three hits in four innings.
The Twins also have several promising arms at Triple-A Rochester. Scott Baker, Matt Garza and Kevin Slowey have all pitched very well this season.
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