The New York Yankees on Friday sent rookie left-hander Kei Igawa to Triple-A Scranton after yet another shaky start the previous day.
Igawa failed to get a win in six outings after earning a recall from the minors last month. On Thursday, the 28-year-old took his third loss of the season after working 5 2/3 shaky innings allowing five runs and seven hits as the Yankees lost 7-0 to the Kansas City Royals and had their six-game winning streak snapped.
Igawa has a 2-3 record in the majors with a 6.79 ERA in 12 games. He last won on April 28, about a week before the Yankees sent him to the minors for the first time.
"I just felt he needed to be more consistent," Yankees manager Joe Torre was quoted as saying in an article on the Yankees' Web site.
"We basically told him that we felt he didn't move forward and he needed to do more of that in just locating his pitches and getting the ball down," Torre was quoted as saying.
Igawa said he will try hard in the minors to improve the consistency of his performances on the mound.
"I'm going to continue to work hard in Triple-A. Each time I pitch, I'm learning more about what it takes to become a consistent pitcher in this league," he said in a statement released by the club.