MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins left-hander Tommy Milone is dealing with what manager Ron Gardenhire called a dead arm, so Minnesota will skip Milone's next turn through the rotation.
Milone was scheduled to pitch Sunday in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, but the hope is giving him one start off will help his sore arm. Sunday's starter has not officially been announced, but Gardenhire said Thursday that it will likely be left-hander Logan Darnell.
"We're going to see how the next game goes and see what we have to use out there," Gardenhire said. "A candidate is probably Darnell if we don't have to use him. If we have to use him, then we would just do bullpen-by-committee all the way through it. Milone's definitely not going to pitch."
The 27-year-old Milone was acquired by the Twins from Oakland in exchange for outfielder Sam Fuld. He's made five starts for Minnesota since the trade, going 0-1 with a 7.84 ERA. Those numbers are much different than the 6-3 record and 3.55 ERA he had in 16 starts with Oakland.
Gardenhire wouldn't necessarily say that Milone's arm issues are the reason for his struggles in his five starts with the Twins.
"He just said he has a tired arm, a dead arm right now. The ball's not coming out of his hand," Gardenhire said. "Talking with the trainers, they said he's had this before. They said just back him off, skip a start. That's helped him in the past. We'll see where he comes back next time around."
Darnell was one of eight players brought up as September call-ups. He made his major-league debut earlier this season with the Twins. He made two starts and one relief appearance for Minnesota, allowing 11 runs on 16 hits in 12 innings for an 8.25 ERA.
Since Darnell was sent back to Triple-A Rochester, he made two starts and three appearances. Gardenhire said Darnell should be stretched out enough to make the start Sunday if that's the direction Minnesota goes.
Hicks gets first start in right field: In Aaron Hicks' 120 career starts in the major leagues, all 120 have come as a center fielder.
That is, until Thursday.
Hicks was penciled into the Twins' lineup as the starting right fielder for the first time in his career. After he was demoted to the minors earlier this season, Hicks began playing the corner outfield spots along with his normal center field position. He played a total of 13 games in right field between Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Rochester, as well as six combined games in left field.
"We're going to move people around, mix it up as best as we possibly can," Gardenhire said.
Hicks joins center fielder Danny Santana and left fielder Jordan Schafer in what might be the fastest outfield trio the Twins have used all season. All three players are capable of playing center field, so Gardenhire said communication will be key.
"We've got speed. We've got coverage," Gardenhire said. "They're all used to taking charge. I sure like it out there. Schafer's been playing good out there. We know Hicks is as gifted an outfielder as you can get. And our kid's been playing great in center field. If you want coverage, we should have it."
Gardenhire has respect for Scioscia: This weekend's series between the Twins and Angels pits the two longest-tenured managers against each other. Gardenhire is in his 13th season at the helm in Minnesota, while Angels skipper Mike Scioscia has Gardenhire beat as he's in his 15th year with Los Angeles.
Gardenhire's Twins team is headed for its fourth straight 90-loss season, while Scioscia's Angels boast the best record in baseball entering this weekend. But both managers have had their fair share of success, and have run into each other plenty over the last 13 years.
"We've had some rough years here, and that's not the norm. I know Mike's had a couple rough ones out there," Gardenhire said. "Good players help you stick around a long time. . . . More than anything else, the organization believes that you can do the job. I think he's had that. Fortunately for me, these guys have let me stay."
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