Twins will recall Pino to start against Indians

MINNEAPOLIS -- Right-hander Yohan Pino will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester to start for the Twins Tuesday night against the Indians, the club announced after Monday's 4-3 win over Cleveland. Left-hander Kris Johnson was optioned to Rochester after his start to make room for Pino.

Johnson, 29, gave up two runs on five hits and three walks over five innings in a no-decision against the Indians on Tuesday. The Twins will now need a starter for Saturday's game against the White Sox.

"I'll go down and work on attacking the strike zone more," said Johnson, who has a 4.73 ERA in three starts with the Twins this year. "Hopefully, next time I come up, I'll carry it up here."

Pino, 30, was optioned to Rochester after his last start with the Twins on July 10, as the club didn't need a fifth starter on its roster before the All-Star break. Pino picked up his first Major League win that night, giving up one run on seven hits over five innings against the Mariners.

But he struggled in his one start with Rochester, allowing five runs on three hits and seven walks over five innings on Thursday. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, however, said he's not worried about Pino's subpar outing at Triple-A. Pino has a 4.39 ERA in five starts with the Twins, and a 2.45 ERA in 15 appearances with Rochester.

"He told me he was just working on a few things, so we'll leave it at that," Gardenhire said. "We're excited to have him back up here. He really competes hard and changes speeds. It's nice to have him back up here for another start. We'll throw that one out from the Minor Leagues."