Konnor Pilkington Continues To Have Ups And Downs As Guardians Spot Starter

Konnor Pilkington started game two for the Guardians as they split the doubleheader with the Twins.

One of the toughest parts about managing and navigating a doubleheader is what to do with the pitching staff. The organization chose to call up Konnor Pilkington today as the twenty-seventh man and starter for game two of today's doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins. This is a role he may continue to find himself in throughout the season.

Pilkington has started in five games for the Guardians this year and has looked good at times, but shaky at times too. In those five appearances, he has a 4.50 ERA over 22 innings. He is also averaging just over one strikeout per inning, which is an encouraging sign for a young pitcher.

In today's second game against the Twins, Pilkington pitched 4.1 innings, gave up eight hits, four earned runs, and struck out four batters. 

After the game, Tito acknowledged that Pilkington is still learning and he is not a finished product, but they know the talent is there. 

Pilkington may not be good enough to be a full-time starter right now, but he has certainly shown flashes that prove he can be a solid option as a spot starter or fill in if there is an injury to anyone in the rotation.

One of these flashes was earlier in June when he struck out five of the first six batters against the Blue Jays. 

There is a very good chance that Pilkington will get more spot starts later this season. The Guardians currently have four more doubleheaders scheduled this season because of rainouts early in the year and the season starting late due to the lockout. 

The Guardians will continue their five-game series with the Twins tomorrow night with the first pitch at 7:10. The Guardians will look to tie up the series with Cal Quantrill on the mound. 

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