As first reported by Jeff Schuler, the IronPigs beat writer for the Morning Call, former first round draft pick Joe Savery has been relgated to the bullpen by Lehigh Valley, with Brandon Duckworth to take his spot in the rotation. Savery has made four relief appearances in his professional career and each of the four have come on the heels of early inning rehabs by Phils on the DL.
Savery has had a major problem in the first inning of almost every appearance this year, with an ERA now topping 9.00 in the opening frame. In fact, as Schuler notes, Savery has an ERA over 9.00 in the first two innings of his 13 starts, with an atrocious WHIP of 2.16. The hope is the work in the bullpen will help resolve the issues in the first few innings of games.