This is a third of a four-part series taking a look back at the 2012 York Revolution. If you haven’t already, check out the recap of the Revs’ infield here or read the recap of outfield here. Also, I finally got around to putting up a recap of the 31 players picked up by big league clubs in 2012, which includes the final results of the what those players did with their respective affiliated and (for a pair of players) big league clubs.

Anyway, before we get to the Revs recap on starting pitching, here are a couple other noteworthy items to check out:

–Atlantic League improvements: Check out my column from Monday about what areas the Atlantic League can improve in 2013. Includes umpires, length of games and drug testing. There were a few other items that could’ve been thrown in there, but for the sake of space those were the top three for me.

–Ducks are the champs: The Long Island Ducks forced a Game 5 with the Lancaster Barnstormers and ended up taking the deciding contest by a final score of 5-4. And the Ducks won the game in dramatic fashion, getting the win run across the plate in the bottom of the ninth with two outs on a suicide squeeze. Gotta say I’m shocked Long Island pulled this off. I thought for sure Lancaster would win this in four games. Check out the full story from Lancaster Intelligencer Journal-New Era reporter Burt Wilson here. With the victory, Long Island earns its second league title and first since 2004.

–Loudoun: The Loudoun (Va) Hounds announced last week that it had reached a new financing deal and a new location for a ballpark, with hopes to begin playing in the Atlantic League in 2014. Then again, we heard much of the same news roughly this time last year, only to see things fall through. I caught up with Peter Kirk about this topic last week. Kirk is the chairman of Opening Day Partners, which owns five of the eight teams in the Atlantic League. Kirk confirmed that Loudoun is not yet an official member of the Atlantic League. Here’s what he had to say:

“The league has given them a period of exclusivity to put a deal together. That’s all they have. The league doesn’t like to have the same people running around in the same market area putting a deal together. Loudoun has done a fantastic job with marketing and positioning of the team. They seem to have most of approvals for a stadium. They seem to have their financing together. They asked the league if they can move to another sight. We didn’t really care about that part. It’s up to them as far as the location they’d like to put a park. It’s a great market and it fits geographically with the league. I hope it works out.”

Second Texas team?: Kirk also gave an update on a possible second team in Texas after the success of the expansion Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012. Kirk has stated numerous times that ODP has been working with towns in the Houston area over the past year with the goal of bringing a second Atlantic League club to the area. Here’s what he had to stay this time around regarding a second Texas club:

“I’m hopeful in 2013 we will have identified at least one more city out there. Hopefully we start bringing them into the league in 2014. That’s the plan. Hopefully we can accomplish it.”

 

With all of that out of the way, here’s the recap of the Revs’ 2012 pitching staff:

York started out with the rotation of RHP Corey Thurman, RHP Ryan Feierabend, LHP Chris Cody as the top four starters. Veteran lefty Jesus Sanchez eventually won the fifth spot, beating out lefty Yunior Novoa and right-handers Omar Javier and Shaun Garceau for the job.

In the end, the Revs relied on Thurman, Feierabend and Cody for most of the year, with lefty Chris Waters and righty Derrick Gordon joining the team mid-season and having decent performances with York.

Picked up: The Revs saw two starters get picked up by big league clubs during the season. The Cincinnati Reds signed Feierabend after he went 3-2 with a 3.24 ERA in seven starts for York. At Class Louisville, the lefty posted a 1-4 record and 6.75 ERA in seven starts before being released by the Reds. Feierabend then returned to York and finished the regular season with a 9-5 record and 2.70 ERA in 18 starts in the Atlantic League for the Revs.

 

 

 

Right-hander Shawn Hill was a bit more successful. The righty started off the year with York out of the bullpen, giving up a combined eight earned runs in two appearances. He then switched to his normal role as a starter and pitched a combined 27.2 scoreless innings, setting a new club record in the process. The Blue Jays signed Hill in June and he went on to put up a 9-2 record and 4.52 ERA at Class AAA Las Vegas. The Blue Jays called him up to the big league roster in the final week of the season. Hill made the most of his one relief appearance. Facing the New York Yankees on Sept. 29, Hill relieved Blue Jays’ starter Ricky Romero and went on to toss three scoreless innings, walking two to pick up his first major league win since 2010 – which came with Toronto. Hill became the first pitcher to return to the majors and earn a win after playing for the Revs.

Garceau, Sanchez: A pair of notable moves were made in June when York released right-hander Shauen Garceau and left-hander Jesus Sanchez. Both made significant contributions for York in the previous year or two, but had drop-offs in 2012.

In 2011, Garceau went 4-11 with a 5.45 ERA in 21 starts and 11 relief appearances going back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. He had his best stretch that year from June 29 to Sept. 11 when he went 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA in 20 games (10 starts). Additionally, he came within two outs of a complete-game shutout tossing a then career-high 8.1 IP. Two starts later he notched a complete-game shout with a four-hitter and nine Ks against the Road Warriors. In 201, Garceau was plagued by injuries all season. He first pitched for the Revs on May 4, tossing a scoreless inning in relief against Bridgeport. He would go on the inactive list the next day to recover from tendonitis in his throwing arm. He returned a month later and gave up two runs on one hit and a walk in one inning of relief against Camden on June 5. He tossed scoreless third of an inning on June 7, but was released shortly after. The right-hander moved on to the Kansas City T-Bones (American Association) and went 9-6 with a 3.47 ERAin 16 starts and one relief appearance.

The 37-year-0ld Sanchez departed York with a 6.49 ERA in six starts and four relief appearances. Sanchez was on a short leash to start the season after an unimpressive 2011 campaign with York, when he went 3-2 with a 6.67 ERA in just six starts before he abruptly left York to return to his native Dominican Republic. The former big leaguer had been struggling to return to his 2010 numbers, when he posted a 3.65 ERA in 16 starts before getting picked up by the Oakland Athletics.

The Revs also released right-hander Omar Javier after he gathered a 5.67 ERA and 1-6 record in nine starts and 13 relief appearances a year after he had a 5.65 ERA in eight starts and three relief appearances for the Road Warriors.

Spot starts: A pair of pitchers made a couple of notable spot starts during the 2012 season.

James Houser was the first. The former big leaguer came to York after sitting out the entire 2011 season because of open-heart surgery to repair an enlarged aorta. He had hopes of eventually to the starting rotation, where he spent most of his pro career prior to the surgery. The most memorable moment Houser had in his time with the Revs this season came back on June 12 when he started against Southern Maryland in place of Shawn Hill. Houser lived up to the task by tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless ball, giving up four hits while striking out two and walking one. The Revs collected just enough runs and seven pitchers combined to hold the Blue Crabs to just two runs in a 3-2 victory. York later released Houser after he went 2-1 with a 5.51 ERA in two starts and 31 relief appearances. He soon joined the Camden and finished the year with a 3-0 record and 4.01 ERA in 25 relief appearances for the Riversharks.

Left-hander Wade Korpi was lights-out in his three spot starts in the regular seaso. The former Miami Marlins prospect had a stellar 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings over those three starts for York.

In the end: Right-hander Corey Thurman had another solid season. The longtime Revs’ pitcher went 14-3 with a 3.81 ERA over 27 regular season starts. He broke the club record he set in wins a year before, when he went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 25 starts. The 14 wins tied three Lancaster pitchers for the most in the league. His 3.81 ERA ranked eighth in the league among starters. However, he did give up a team-high 20 homers while striking out 76 and walking 52 over 147.2 innings pitched.

Feierabend proved to be York’s ace. He accumulated 9-5 record and 2.71 ERA in 18 starts in the Atlantic League for the Revs. In between, he got picked up by the Reds and pitched at Class AAA Louisville before being cut and returning to York. He ranked third in the league in ERA among starters.

Left-hander Chris Cody finished the year with a 10-14 record and 4.38 ERA in 28 starts. Though inconsistent at times, Cody still did a good job at eating up innings, tossing a total of 164.1, which ranked seventh-most in the league. The former Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves prospect also had a steller strikeout-to-walk ratio, with 112 Ks to 29 walks.

Waters joined the Revs in mid-June shortly after the club released Jesus Sanchez. The former Baltimore Orioles starter came to York 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery to his throwing elbow. But the southpaw didn’t suffer the injury in typical fashion. Rather, it was caused in 2010 when Waters was at-bat while playing in a game for Nashville against Albuquerque, the Class AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. An Albuquerque pitcher drilled Waters in his throwing arm with a pitch. Anyway, Waters had a pretty good year considering his health factors. The 32-year-old posted a 6-7 ERA and 4.38 ERA over 18 starts, striking out 59 and walking 29 in 90.1 innings of work. Among his 2012 highlights, Waters threw a complete-game one-hitter at Sugar Land on Sept. 18, marking the first time he accomplished the feat since 2008 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Overall, it was 10th complete game of his now 12-year pro career. He was one of three York pitchers to throw a complete-game nine inning shutout in 2012.

York acquired left-hander Derrick Gordon in mid-July from Sugar Land, where Gordon was 1-4 with a 6.43 ERA in eight starts and seven relief appearances. Gordon turned it around in York, going 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 starts.

Stay or go?: One would think Feierabend and Waters might get a minor league spring training invite with a big league club. Should that not happen, though, I’d like to see both return. Feierabend can clearly be a dominant pitcher in the Atlantic League. Waters, though inconsistent this season, should be able to improve on his 2012 numbers considering he’ll be a full two-plus years removed from Tommy John surgery at the beginning of the 2013 season. He also proved he has the veteran mindset to overcome pretty much anything considering he played the last month of the season while his younger brother recovered in a hospital from a serious motorcycle accident. In addition, both Feierabend and Waters also have the potential to get picked up by big league clubs in the near future (again, that’s the main purpose of the Atlantic League).

Thurman and Cody both win and eat up a ton of innings. Though at times it may not be pretty – the duo combined to allow 38 homers – pitchers who can find a way to win and last a long time in the process are a rare commodity in the Atlantic League. Thurman, 33, likely no longer draws the interest of big league scouts. But for reasons stated above, and the fact that he’s been great in the community and the clubhouse, he’s a perfect fit to return in 2013. Cody, 28, is just a year removed from being picked up by the Atlanta Braves in 2011. So, he has great potential to earn a big league contract if he can be more consistent in 2013.

That leaves lefty Derrick Gordon. Yes, he had a solid year – 5-3 with a 4.02 ERA over 12 starts for York – but he wouldn’t be a big loss if he doesn’t return to the Revs in 2013. Not only was Gordon inconsistent, he also didn’t go long in games – only three starts did he toss at least six innings. That can be taxing on a bullpen over a long season. Then again, Revs’ manager Mark Mason did a great job turning Gordon around after he went 1-4 with a 6.43 in 15 games at Sugar Land. Plus, Gordon is just two years removed from having a 2.63 ERA in 11 starts for the Somerset Patriots in 2011.

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Looking through the pre-game notes provided by the Revs on Wednesday, I was shocked to see the Revs’ 23-inning scoreless streak coming into Wednesday was a franchise record. The Revs also hadn’t hit a home run since Opening Day at Sugar Land last Thursday. And they had yet to score multiple runs in one inning this season.

Outfielder Michael Hernandez changed all that with one swing in the first inning at Sovereign Bank Stadium on Wednesday morning (yes, morning, it was an 11 a.m. game).

With two runners on base, Hernandez sent the ball over the left-field wall to give York a 3-0 lead. The Revs tacked on a run in the sixth with a sac fly from Liu Rodriguez that scored Travis Scott from third. The Revs ended up needing the insurance run as right-hander Ricardo Gomez surrendered a three-run bomb to Camden the next inning. York would hold on for a 4-3 win.

The Revs improved to 2-4 while Camden dropped to 3-3. Click here for full game details.

Offense: Though York got back in the win column, the team still only collected six hits. The Revs have yet to get more than six hits in a single game this season. Still, Wednesday may have been a good sign the offense is turning around, at least that’s how skipper Andy Etchebarren feels.

“We’re gonna hit. I’m not losing my confidence in this team,” he said. “It’s just I hope we start pretty soon.”

Feierabend dominant: Revs’ starter Ryan Feierabend bounced back in his second start of the season after he gave up five runs on eight hits in less than five innings in his first start last Friday at Sugar Land. The lefty held the Riversharks scoreless in five innings of work, allowing four hits and walking one while striking out three to pick up his first win in a Revs uniform. He threw 44 of his 66 pitches for strikes.

Sanchez moved to bullpen: Etch’ said left-hander Jesus Sanchez has been moved out of the starting rotation and put in the bullpen. This despite having a solid showing in spring training and looking decent in his first start of the season at Sugar Land on Sunday. In that game, Sanchez surrendered two runs in the first inning on three hits and two walks. After that, though, he retired the side in the second inning and only faced four batters in the third. For the game, he was credited for two runs on four hits in three innings of work with two walks and no strikeouts.

The 37-year-old Sanchez had a short leash heading into the season, though. So, he had to be lights out in his first start of the year if he wanted to keep a spot in the rotation. Etch’ said right-hander Omar Javier and left-hander Yunior Novoa will be the team’s No. 4 and No. 5 starters (for now anyway).

Game Three: The Revs host Camden on Thursday in the finale of the three-game series. York left-hander Chris Cody (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will face Camden right-hander Bryan Corey (0-1, 3.00 ERA).

Quotebook: When asked about what went wrong with Ricardo Gomez’s pitch that he served up to Steve Doetsch in the seventh inning for a three-run home run, Etch’ had the following response:

“What was wrong? Well, it wasn’t a wrong pitch at the wrong time. What was wrong  was the (nine) straight balls he threw before that. It was nine. That’s what was wrong with it. I don’t give a s— if he hits a solo home run. We had a four-run lead. It was those other nine f– pitches I didn’t like.”

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With the performance left-hander Jesus Sanchez showed out on the mound on Thursday at Sovereign Bank Stadium, he may have secured a spot on the roster.

Sanchez first pitched in camp on Sunday, tossing pitches off the game mound to stand-in batters, who weren’t swinging. By all accounts, he didn’t look impressive in that outing. But his efforts on Thursday against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs were a different story. Sanchez held the Crabs scoreless in three innings of work, allowing three hits and striking out four. He threw a total of 43 pitches. It’s a good sign for a veteran pitcher who had a down year in 2011 after a superb season in 2010.

“Last year for Sanchez was, I think, he came into camp. There was a lot distractions for him. His son signed a big contract. He was pitching in Taiwan but (only) once a week,” Revs’ pitching coach Mark Mason said. “I don’t how much work he was really doing. So, when he came here he wasn’t in the best of shape and it showed. And then he went back home to (his native Dominican Republic) to help his kid sign (a minor league) contract and then they get hit with a hurricane. We didn’t here back from him.

“I give Etch’ a lot of credit for giving (Sanchez) another opportunity. He came back, he’s in much better shape. He’s in about the shape he was in in 2010. I thought he threw the ball well today. Around 86 mph, sometimes 87. He kept the ball down. He had command with three pitches. He’s not dumb. He knows the score. Guys look around the room and they know what they got to do to stay. And he’s showed up and I give him credit for that, too. If he would have went out there and he would have had a horrible day today, then maybe decisions becoming a little more clear. But he manned up and he made decisions tough for us and that’s what he’s supposed to do.”

RHP Shaun Garceau and LHP Ian Thomas pitched on back-to-back days for the first time this spring and didn’t look sharp. Garceau surrendered a run on three hits and Thomas gave upa two-run homer to Travis Garcia. But Mason and Revs’ manager Andy Etchebarren aren’t concerned.

“(Thomas) threw a change-up to the best change-up hitter in the league,” Etchebarren said. ” So, what’s he do? He pulls an R.J. and throws it and gives up a homer.”

LHP Kris Regas, RHP Adam Thomas and RHP R.J. Rodriguez all looked solid. Regas struck out two in one inning of work. Thomas struck out one in an inning. Rodriguez also struck out a batter but gave up a homer.

Chris Nowak and Salvador Paniagua each homered for York.  Nowak is now 3-for-12 in spring training, with all three hits being homers. York lost Thursday by a final score of 4-2.

Douglas: Check out a feature story on Revs’ outfielder Stephen Douglas, which will be featured in Friday’s York Dispatch (for the online story click here). Some interesting tidbits that weren’t able to make the story: Douglas was convinced to come play for York by Revs’ slugger Chris Nowak. The pair played together in the Mexican League with the Puebla Parrots, which wasn’t a great experience for either of them…Douglas, who played for the Barnstormers last year, said he checked with Lancaster manager Butch Hobson first about coming to York. Hobson said his roster was full with outfielders, but there was still room on York’s roster…Douglas trained with former Revs’ outfielder Chris Walker (who’s back in Camden) during the off-season…Douglas’s wife, Rebecca, had their first child, a baby boy named Brantley, on Feb. 13…Douglas had an offer to play in Japan this year but turned it down to be closer to his family stateside.

Friday’s plans: The Revs will depart York at 8:30 a.m. on Friday for a 1 p.m. exhibition at Southern Maryland. RHP Omar Javier and LHP Yunior Novoa will receive most of the work Mason said. RHP Stephen Penney, LHP James Houser and RHP Santo Luis will also see some action. York will return home on Saturday for Fan Fest, where they’ll face an all-star team of local players. RHP Corey Thurman will get the start in that contest.

Pitching/Roster cuts?: Mason said he’s very pleased with what he’s seen from all of York’s pitchers thus far. In a total of 25 innings, Revs’ pitchers have tossed 327 pitches, an average of 13.1 innings per inning. There has been only one walk and one hit-by-pitch.

York currently has 15 pitchers and 12 position players on the roster (27 total). Atlantic League squads can start the season with 27 players on the roster, which has to be paired down to 25 by the end of May. It’s likely the Revs will go with three catchers to start the season (catcher Alex Lentz is a spring training invite), but Mason said the team might not have to make any cuts to pitchers being that Dumas Garcia has yet to arrive in camp.

“If we made decisions, we would have to make it Monday at the latest because we have to go to Sugar Land on Tuesday. My anticipation is all 14 of these (pitchers) go to Texas. That would be my bet.”

Arrivals: Etchebarren said he expects infielders Liu Rodriguez and Ramon Castro to arrive in York on Friday and possibly play on Saturday. Infielder Danny Gonzalez should arrive by Saturday, Etchebarren said.

DeSalvo/Barcelo update: It sounds unlikely that right-hander Matt DeSalvo will play for York anytime soon, according to Mason. DeSalvo is currently playing overseas in Taiwan. The club he’s playing for has the option of extending his contract on May 1.

“He’s not gonna know until May 1 because that’s when his option’s up. If he goes from Taiwan to Italy and then here,” Mason said. “And Lorenzo Barcelo (currently playing in Mexican League) still wants to come at the end of the year. Those guys are done at the end of August and want to come. They don’t care about the money they want to come win a championship.”

Quotebook: Panigua had a couple attempts to chase down a pop fly behind the dugout on Thursday, but failed to make it to the ball each time. Etchebarren had this to say:

“He told me after that one by the dugout, ‘I want to steal a couple bases this year.’ I told him if he can’t catch that ball he ain’t stealing any bases.”

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Andy Etchebarren can be tough on his players sometimes, but it doesn’t mean the York Revolution manager is without a soft side.

So, after having a long discussion with former Revs’ starting pitcher Jesus Sanchez, Etchebarren has decided to give the southpaw a second chance.

The Revolution announced Monday the signings of Sanchez and left-handed reliever Ian Thomas, making it nine players who are signed on for the 2012 season thus far.

SANCHEZ: Sanchez, a former major leaguer, returned to York in late June of last season. A year before, the veteran left-hander had started 16 games for York, going 7-6 with a 3.65 ERA. He also started for the Freedom Division in the 2010 Atlantic League All-Star Game. Later that season, he was picked up by the Oakland Athletics and assigned to Class AAA Sacramento, where he went 0-1 in three starts with a 12.00 ERA.

In six starts with the Revs in 2011, the left-hander went 3-2 with a 6.67 ERA. However, after a start at Somerset on Aug. 13, Sanchez left the club to deal with a family matter in his native Dominican Republic. He was supposed to rejoin the club a short time later, but Hurricane Irene interrupted travel plans and the team had difficulty tracking him down ever since.

I told him I was very disappointed with what happened last year. I thought he let his teammates down and let me down,” Etchebarren said. “He promised he would apologize to the team when he got here. He told me he would be in shape and ready to pitch (in spring training)…the players like this guy. I like this guy. We don’t appreciate what he did last year, but I believe in giving guys second chances.”

Sanchez, 37, had spent parts of seven consecutive seasons in the major leagues from 1998 to 2004 with the Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and Cincinnati Reds, totaling 162 appearances and 83 starts, while winning 23 games including a career-best nine with Florida during the 2000 season.

Sanchez is the sixth returning player from last year’s championship club to sign on for the 2012 campaign.

THOMAS: York had interest in Thomas late last season, but the Winnipeg Goldeyes, of the independent American Association, were unwilling to deal the left-hander.

With Winnipeg in 2011, Thomas went 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA in 37 relief appearances. Just three years removed from being a starter at Virginia Commonwealth University, Thomas has accumulated a career 11-5 record and 2.03 ERA the past three seasons with Winnipeg as a reliever.

“From talking with Ian, he really didn’t start pitching until he was in college for the most part,” Revs pitching coach Mark Mason said. “He really hasn’t been pitching a long time. We talked about how he is going to build himself up to maybe try to come in as a starter, but we’re looking at him as a reliever. If he comes in built up to start, it’s a lot easier to put him in the bullpen. We’re excited and he is excited, too.”

Mason said Thomas, 24, has an “over-the-top” delivery and his best pitch is a changeup.

“Usually guys with a good changeup end up doing pretty well in this league,” Mason said.

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The York Revolution are in the process of rebuilding the starting rotation.

Though that may not sound like a good thing with just weeks remaining in the regular season, the recent acquisitions sound promising.

A day after the Revs added right-handed starter Nick Shumacher, York signed left-hander Jino Gonzalez on Thursday.

Schumacher had an outstanding year with Sioux City (American Association) this season, going 10-5 in 21 starts and two relief appearances. His 3.03 ERA ranked third in the American Association and his 123 strikeouts ranked second.

Gonzalez also comes over from the American Association, having made nine starts and one relief appearance with the Lincoln Saltdogs this season. He went 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA in 54 innings pitched with Lincoln, striking out 47 and walking 17.

In related moves, York placed right-handed reliever Geoff Geary on the disabled list and starting pitcher Jesus Sanchez on the inactive list on Thursday. Geary has been out of action since Aug. 13, suffering from an injury to his throwing arm. Sanchez left the club two weeks ago to deal with a family matter in his native Dominican Republic. He was supposed to join the club last week, but Hurricane Irene interrupted travel plans. The team has had difficulty tracking him down ever since.

York’s starting rotation now looks like this: RHP Corey Thurman (11-3, 3.40 ERA), RHP Lorenzo Barcelo (3-0, 1.90 ERA), RHP Shaun Garceau (4-7, 5.16 ERA), RHP Dumas Garcia (2-2, 5.79 ERA), RHP Nick Shumacher and LHP Jino Gonzalez.

Yes, that’s six starting pitchers. But Revs manager Andy Etchebarren had said earlier this week that Garcia’s start on Wednesday will likely be his last as Etchebarren plans on moving Garcia to the bullpen.

But with York scheduled to play six games over a five day stretch from Thursday to Monday – because of a double-header on Sunday – it’ll be interesting to see if Etch’ holds off until next week to move one of the starters to the ’pen.

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York’s top three starting pitchers from the beginning of the year are still here. But the No. 4 and No. 5 spots have undergone some changes in the past few weeks.

First, right-hander Shaun Garceau was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Garceau was taken out of the rotation after he surrendered six runs to Long Island on June 28 and pulled in the first inning without retiring a batter.

A former top Cardinals prospect, the 23-year-old Garceau went 1-5 with a 7.94 ERA in 11 starts.

Now, Garceau’s role has changed to a long-inning relief pitcher, which will make up for the loss of right-handed reliever Jason Richardson, who likely will miss the rest of the season.

Second, 31-year-old right-handed starter John VanBenschoten got picked up by the San Diego Padres on July 19 and assigned to Class AAA Tucson.

Joining the club in late May, VanBenschoten got off to a shaky start with the Revs, surrendering 10 earned runs in 11.2 innings over his first three starts, accumulating a 7.71 ERA. But the former Pittsburgh Pirates first-round draft pick dominated in his final five starts for York, giving up a combined five earned runs and improving his ERA to 2.91.

In place of Garceau and VanBenschoten, the Revs have signed starters Jesus Sanchez and Zac Cline. Both are left-handers, which means York now has three southpaws in the starting rotation – Cody is the other one.

Sanchez will make his first start for York on Tuesday night against the Road Warriors. Sanchez, 36, started 16 games for York last year, going 7-6 with a 3.65 ERA before being signed by the Oakland Athletics and assigned to Class AAA Sacramento, where he went 0-1 in three starts with a 12.00 ERA.

Cline is also a former Revs’ player, last pitching for York in 2007. The lefty didn’t have much success in his brief stint with York that year, though, accumulating a 18.00 ERA in four innings out of the bullpen.

Cline has spent most of his career as a starter, with a 4.20 ERA in six minor league seasons.

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