With very little left to prove in Triple-A, Twins righthander Kevin Slowey was called up to the majors last night to take Ramon Ortiz’ spot in the rotation. Slowey, the Twins’ second-round pick out of Winthrop in 2005, will start Friday in Oakland.

Fresh off a three-game winning streak with Rochester, the 23-year-old Slowey leaves the International League with 6-2, 1.54 numbers in 64 1/3 innings. He was the circuit’s ERA leader, and he had struck out 57 batters and walked just five, continuing to show his astonishing command of the strike zone.

Righthander Matt Garza, who was taken in the 2005 draft’s first round, had been nearly as effective as Slowey over the past few weeks—and he was already on the 40-man roster—but his candid blow up on Saturday could not have helped his case.