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By BRANT JAMES
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2000
Hernando High alum Bronson Arroyo had what Pittsburgh Pirates manager Gene Lamont deemed his best outing in the major leagues Saturday, but the rookie right-hander was demoted to Triple-A Nashville on Sunday.
Arroyo, who absorbed his second loss in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, was sent down because a fifth starter will not be needed again until July 17 in Los Angeles.
The Pirates could need another pitcher sooner, however, if starter Francisco Cordova is injured. He left in the fifth inning of his start Monday with an elbow injury.
Left-handed reliever Scott Sauerbeck will be activated from the disabled list today to take Arroyo's spot.
Arroyo was 0-2 and had allowed 35 hits and 19 earned runs in 181/3 innings. The league batted .417 against him.
Arroyo, 23, fell to 0-2 by allowing eight hits and four runs in 52/3 innings Saturday. His effort was much more productive than his third major league start, however, in which he allowed nine earned runs in 21/3 innings to the New York Mets.
"That's the best he's thrown," Lamont told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "His control was probably the best it's been. He could have gotten out with less runs. He mixed his pitches well. That's how he has to pitch. On fastball counts, he has to throw breaking balls and vice versa."