Tankersley called up by Marlins|[07/29/08]
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 29, 2008
From staff reports
Taylor Tankersley is getting another shot at the big leagues.
The former Warren Central star was recalled by the Florida Marlins from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday. It will be the left-handed reliever’s third stint in the majors this season. He started the year with the Marlins but was demoted after struggling in the first two months of the season, then was recalled for a brief one-game stay in early July.
In 24 appearances this season in the majors, Tankersley is 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA. In 21 games at Albuquerque, however, he had a 1.23 ERA and didn’t allow an earned run in his last 11 outings. Tankersley told the Miami Herald his time in the minors helped him regain his confidence on the mound.
“I had teammates shoot bottle rockets at me before the game to anger me. … That and Red Bull,” Tankersley joked. “It was just confidence and aggression. If you play this game with confidence and aggression, you can have success. If you don’t, then you won’t. I lost that, and now I got it back.”
Tankersley’s stay in the majors may be brief. On Thursday, the Marlins are due to activate starter Anibal Sanchez from the disabled list. They may also make a trade before Thursday’s deadline that could send Tankersley back to the minors or to another team.
“I’m here today. I have a Marlins jersey on today,” Tankersley said. “So I’m going to pitch for the Marlins today, and if I pitch for somebody else tomorrow, then I’ll deal with that when it gets there.”