Phil Coke’s transition from reliever to starter went well early on, as he posted a 3.69 ERA through 11 starts, but that came with an ugly 1-6 record and Coke has since fallen to 1-8 by giving up 18 runs in his last three starts.
Today the Tigers ended the experiment, dropping Coke from the rotation and sending him back to the bullpen, where the left-hander had a 3.76 ERA and 53/26 K/BB ratio in 65 innings last season.
Coke’s overall numbers as a starter certainly aren’t very impressive, with a 4.91 ERA and 37/30 K/BB ratio in 77 innings, but I’m guessing the Tigers wouldn’t have made the move if he were, say, 4-5 instead of 1-8 and much of that comes from poor run support that was out of Coke’s hands anyway.
Whatever the case, left-hander Charlie Furbush will replace Coke in the rotation after pitching well in a dozen relief appearances following his call-up last month. Furbush was a starter in the minors and has always posted excellent strikeout rates, but his ERA in 17 starts at Triple-A was just 4.64. He does get some extra points for the name, however.