TRENTON – Even though Kevin Millwood’s time in Trenton was limited to just one outing, the impact he left during his brief stay may have been much larger.

The right-hander was bumped up Wednesday to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and will make his second minor league start on Friday against the Syracuse Skychiefs. He’ll take the spot of Mark Prior

He made one start with the Thunder, a seven-inning one-hitter in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against the Harrisburg Senators. Using a well-placed fastball that topped at around 87 miles per hour, the veteran showed the younger pitchers that you can succeed without top-shelf velocity.

One such pitcher is Craig Heyer, a 25-year-old righty who, like Millwood, uses a combination of low-velocity with good sink and command to record his outs. As it happened, Heyer started the second game of the doubleheader, and Millwood watched closely.

“Right after I came out of the game (Sunday), he was in the clubhouse. I was trying to pick his brain on how he was pitching those guys,” Heyer said. “He kind of gave us some advice after the game, so it was kind of neat to have a guy like that around.”

Millwood even went so far as to act as a sort of second pitching coach during Heyer’s start. As Heyer struggled to keep his ball down, Millwood was watching from the dugout, ready to advise his newfound pupil.

“I was getting in trouble when my ball was up, and he noticed that from the side,” Heyer continued. “He’s noticing that I’m pulling off my front shoulder, and said ‘just stay on it.’”

Heyer will start again on Friday against Harrisburg, and will likely stay in the rotation until the blister on Dellin Betances’ right pointer finger has recovered sufficiently.

Tony Franklin, Millwood’s skipper for the week, was duly impressed with the way the 159-game winner handled himself around his younger, less experienced teammates.

“It was good to see him go out there and pitch well, and interact with the guys and talk to the guys about their pitching and things of that nature,” he said. “That kind of stuff is just invaluable. I wish I could keep him all year, to be honest with you.

NOTES: Kei Igawa was also promoted to Scranton after Tuesday’s contest. He, however, is expected to be back after making one start on April 21 against the Syracuse Skychiefs. … Charleston catcher Gary Sanchez, the system’s No. 2 prospect as ranked by Baseball America, was reinstated yesterday from the 7-Day Disabled List, where he spent the minimum time while recovering from an oblique injury. … The Yankees signed 22-year-old outfielder Jason Place off waivers from the Red Sox. Place was Boston’s first-round pick in the 2006 draft.

By JOSH NORRIS
jnorris@trentonian.com

TRENTON — On April 27, 2003, Kevin Millwood pitched a no-hitter as a member of the Phillies. For a while in the Thunder’s 8-0 win over the Senators in Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader, it appeared he might do it again, albeit under much less dramatic circumstances.

Primarily using a cutting fastball that topped out at 87 miles per hour, Millwood held the Senators hitless for 5 2/3 innings before Tyler Moore’s sharp single through the middle broke up the bid.

Millwood went the distance, allowing just the single to Moore, with three strikeouts and four walks mixed in. Of his other outs, 10 were on the ground and five came through the air.

Even though he admitted his curveball wasn’t as sharp as he’d like it to be, Millwood was satisfied with yesterday’s results.

“I feel like I’m getting closer to where I need to be,” he said. “Aside from the walks, I felt like I threw the ball well.”

Manager Tony Franklin was pretty impressed with Millwood’s outing as well, especially the way it showcased how an aging pitcher adapts to his declining stuff.

“I was pretty impressed with the way he went in and out and when he got ahead and exploited the hitters’ weaknesses,” Franklin said. “I think he’d be the first to tell you he’s no longer a flamethrower.”

Along with Mark Prior, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, and most recently Carlos Silva, Millwood was one of many darts Yankees general manager Brian Cashman threw at the wall this offseason after Cliff Lee, the winter’s biggest prize, shocked everyone by signing with the Phillies.

So far, Garcia and Colon have helped seal an at-times leaky pitching staff, Prior was moved up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s bullpen, and Silva is in extended spring training down in Tampa, Fla.

As for Millwood, he’s got an out clause in his contract that allows him to opt out and become a free agent again. That’s nearly two weeks away, though, plenty of time to get him another minor league start or two.

His number would come up again on Friday, when the Thunder play the Senators again, this time at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg. If the Yankees don’t want to send aging righty on the road, they could promote him to Scranton, who play at home that day against Syracuse.

In the nighttcap, after spot starter Craig Heyer tossed five innings of three-run (one earned) baseball, Pat Venditte and Fernando Hernandez allowed five runs over the next two innings.

On the other side, Brad Peacock stifled the Thunder, holding them to two runs (one earned) on just two hits. He struck out nine.

Lineups

Harrisburg
1. Josh Johnson - SS
2. Steve Lombardozzi - 2B
3. Buck Coats - DH
4. Tyler Moore - 1B
5. Jesus Valdez - LF
6. Bill Rhinehart - RF
7. Devin Ivany - C
8. Tim Pahuta - 3B
9. Jonathan Tucker - CF
10. Luis Atilano - RHP

Trenton
1. Austin Krum - LF
2. Jose Pirela - SS
3. Austin Romine - C
4. Brad Suttle - 3B
5. Cody Johnson - DH
6. Melky Mesa - CF
7. Corban Joseph - 2B
8. Myron Leslie - 1B
9. Ray Kruml - RF
10. Kevin Millwood - RHP

Pregame Notes: This is Game 1 of doubleheader to make up for yesterday's washout. Each game is seven innings, and Craig Heyer (1-0, 1.35) will start Game 2 for Trenton. He'll be opposed by Brad Peacock. ... To make room for Millwood on the roster, the Thunder have placed outfielder Damon Sublett on the DL. His stint is retroactive to Friday.

TRENTON – It’s out with the new and in with the old for the Thunder – again. Kevin Millwood, whom the Yankees signed late this offseason, will make his 2011debut on Sunday at Waterfront Park. He’ll take the place of Manny Banuelos, who was placed on the disabled list yesterday with a gnarly blister on his left thumb.

Dellin Betances, the other of the team’s pair of high-echelon starters, was also placed on the shelf yesterday with the same blister problem. In his case, the right pointer finger was the offending digit.

Millwood signed with the Yankees on March 25, less than a week before big league camp broke. He stuck around the minor league complex, along with veteran Mark Prior, and threw bullpen sessions in front of team pitching guru Billy Connors, who will accompany Millwood to Trenton.

No specific rules for Millwood were spelled out yesterday by Thunder manager Tony Franklin or pitching coach Tommy Phelps. It’s a safe bet there will be rules coming, however. Millwood pitched against Phillies minor leaguers earlier in the week.

If he makes it to the major leagues with the Yankees, it will be his sixth major league organization. He’s pitched for Atlanta, Cleveland, Texas, Baltimore and Philadelphia. He pitched a no-hitter for the Phillies on April 27, 2003 against San Francisco.

As for Banuelos and Betances, the blisters don’t seem to be a product of the cold. Banuelos says his troubles began during his last work of the spring, an intrasquad game between the Tampa and Charleston work groups on April 2. Although he was slated for Trenton all along, Banuelos started and pitched 4 2/3 innings for the Tampa group.

Afterward, he says, he noticed the thumb beginning to flare up but he kept it to himself.

“I didn’t tell (anyone) nothing,” he said. “Just after the game, I showed it to the trainer and he was surprised. I didn’t show him before the game. It was hard (to pitch with), especially my fastball.”

He pitched with injury on Monday in the first game of the Thunder’s series with Portland, and made it out of four innings unscathed. His pitch count, not the blister, was the reason for his removal that night, and he didn’t expect to be put on the shelf.

Despite its yellow, exposed appearance, Banuelos says he feels better, and will begin throwing tomorrow, starting with a casual game of catch. If that progresses as planned, he’ll throw a bullpen session on Saturday.

Betances is also expected back next week, possibly as early as Monday, if his rehab measures go as planned.

For his part, Franklin doesn’t seem concerned about losing his two top pitchers before his team has even played its first home game. It is, after all, only April 14.

“How many more games are there this season,” he asked. “There’s no reason to panic being 2-4 right now. I get a little bit concerned over the two pitchers we lost, because they have pretty good futures ahead of them and they need to be pitching. I’m not that concerned about (the start) right now.”

NOTES: Gary Sanchez, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, was placed on the disabled list yesterday in Charleston. The severity of his injury is unknown, but the team called up backstop Nick McCoy from the Charleston roster to take his place. … Brian Anderson, a former outfielder with the White Sox, was called to Trenton to take a spot on the roster. He’ll work out of the bullpen, and operates with a low-to-mid 90s fastball as well as a pair of breaking pitches. ... The rotation after today's game is Graham Stoneburner, Craig Heyer, Kevin Millwood and Steve Garrison.

Just got back from the clubhouse, where it was revealed the Kevin Millwood (with Billy Connors in tow) is going to pitch on Sunday in Trenton. That's a day game, 1:05 start, if anybody is planning on coming out. No specifics on pitch count, etc., but I'm sure we'll get that when the date approaches.