The Cleveland Indians had a national YouTube broadcast Wednesday afternoon against the Minnesota Twins.
Those unable to watch the game did not miss much.
Logan Allen gave up three home runs in the first inning alone as the Twins jumped out to an early 4-0 lead.
The Twins kept on bashing all the way to a 10-2 final that saw Allen last a total of 52 pitches.
To make matters worse, he is being optioned to the minors.
The Indians are optioning Logan Allen to Columbus.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) April 28, 2021
That was not the only move made Wednesday as veteran reliever Oliver Perez was designated for assignment as well.
Overall, it was a rough day for the pitching staff.
News: LHP Oliver Pérez, one of the great gentlemen of the baseball world, designated for assignment by @Indians to clear a roster spot for Nick Wittgren. Pérez, 39, ranks second all-time in @MLB games by a Mexican-born pitcher. 🇲🇽 @MexicoBeis @WBSC @MLB_Mexico
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) April 28, 2021
Let’s start with Allen.
Logan Allen Gets Demoted
Allen actually looked solid in his first two starts of the season.
He went five innings in each and allowed a combined three earned runs.
Then the wheels fell off.
He lasted two innings in his third start and 2.1 in his fourth.
1.1 innings was all he could get through Wednesday as he was serving up meatballs to some of the best hitters in the game.
The three home runs Allen allowed to the Twins came one start after he allowed three to the New York Yankees.
Six home runs in 3.2 innings is not exactly MLB-caliber starting pitching.
Next up should be Cal Quantrill, while Sam Hentges could also factor into the conversation.
Oliver Perez Designated for Assignment
This was some tough, but expected, news to see from the Indians.
The 39-year-old Perez only had 3.2 innings of work this year as it was clear he was not at all a go-to option out of the bullpen.
Terry Francona has a whole host of pitchers to choose from and Perez was at the bottom in terms of velocity.
The relatively new three-batter rule also took away Perez’s old role.
He made the team in spring training as the Indians figured out what to do with all the young pitching options.
The start of the minor league season is nearing and it is smarter to cycle through younger players than to give that work to someone like Perez.
It is not like he was having a career resurgence such as what is being seen from Bryan Shaw.
Nick Wittgren returning from the paternity list put the writing on the wall for the veteran southpaw
Perez joined the Indians in 2018 and should be able to find at least one more opportunity before facing retirement.
A Tough Day All Around
Allen put the Indians in an early deficit and made the game a tough watch from the start.
The Indians did still take two of three from the Twins, so the series itself was not a loss.
The team is off Thursday and that could mean a few more roster moves are made before the next game is played.
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