Oliver optioned, final rotation fight down to two

Oliver optioned, final rotation fight down to two
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 03/29/12 2:09 PM ET

LAKELAND, Fla. -- The battle for the Tigers' fifth starter job is now down to two pitchers. And neither the perceived favorite going in nor the perceived favorite from last week are left in the field.

The Tigers optioned Andy Oliver, who is ranked No. 4 on MLB.com's Top 20 Tigers Prospects list, to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday after two subpar outings -- including six earned runs in three-plus innings against the Astros on Tuesday -- ruined what had the makings of a breakout spring for the power left-hander.

With Oliver out, the field for the fifth starter is now down to hard-charging No. 3 prospect Drew Smyly and more experienced left-hander Duane Below. Smyly stayed in the race by pitching 4 2/3 innings with three runs allowed vs. the Cardinals on Wednesday in Jupiter. Below will get his final audition Friday against the Orioles in Sarasota.

Oliver held Grapefruit League opponents scoreless for his first nine innings this spring, including four innings of one-hit ball against the Mets on March 12. His performances seemed to suggest that his midsummer struggles last season at Triple-A Toledo were behind him and that he'd be able to command the ball consistently.

However, a five-walk outing against the Twins last Wednesday put that into serious question.

Tuesday's outing, including seven hits and a 30-pitch second inning, raised too many doubts for the Tigers to break camp with Oliver. His ERA, in turn, rose from 0.00 to 5.17 in just over a week.

Oliver will be on his third turn through Toledo. He ended the 2010 season there before spending most of last year in the Mud Hens' rotation. He'll join No. 1 pitching prospect Jacob Turner, who appeared to be the favorite for the job until early spring struggles and a bout with shoulder tendinitis put him too far behind.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.