Gotta Love a Comeback

Eric Milton takes the mound today for the Blue for the first time since 2007.  The 33 year-old pitcher underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery following a 6-6 season with the Reds where he posted a 5.17 ERA.  Milton’s been burning up AAA so far this season with seven starts, going 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA.  Milton is probably best known for his no-no for the Twins against the Angels (where he threw down 13 Ks with just two walks against a roster filled with more no-names than I can recall ever seeing on a major-league line-up).  Here’s a link to the box score from that game (courtesy of Baseball Almanac).

Interestingly, Milton almost had a second no-hitter in 2007 when he was pitching for the Phillies and playing the Cubs.  According to reports of the game, Phillies center-fielder botched a short fly-ball in the top of the 9th, leading to a double.

Now I’m certainly not saying that Milton is ready to throw another no-hitter for the Dodgers, but I love that Ned and Joe are bringing him in for this particular game.  The Marlins are clearly in a major slump after their much-ballyhooed 11-1 start, going 14-12 since then, including losing their last five straight.  No pressure for Milton and tons to be gained for both the man and the team.  You gotta love a comeback (especially in Hollywood), and it would certainly be great for the Dodgers starting rotation to have Milton deliver some quality starts with Weaver in the bullpen and Kuroda still making his way back from the DL.