Giants option
Williams to
Triple-A

The pitcher from Waipahu
has struggled this year

Jerome Williams

SAN FRANCISCO » The San Francisco Giants optioned fifth starter Jerome Williams to Triple-A Fresno yesterday to work on his command, purchasing the contract of reliever Al Levine to fill Williams' roster spot.

With Thursday's off day, the Giants don't need their fifth starter until next Tuesday, and they want Williams to get significant action in the minors on his regular schedule after struggling so far this year. The Giants chose to add another reliever to boost their taxed bullpen.

Williams must stay down 10 days, so the club will need to name a starter for next Tuesday's game at Arizona.

"He took it OK," manager Felipe Alou said before the Giants played the San Diego Padres. "He's ready to go to work. He knows it's a short-term move for his benefit and the benefit of the team."

Williams (0-2), a right-hander with a 6.48 ERA in three starts and one relief outing, allowed six runs and nine hits in five innings of Sunday's 8-5 loss to Milwaukee. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.

He is coming off elbow surgery last August that limited him to 22 starts, but he still finished 10-7 in 2004.

Williams had a shaky spring, but looked good when the team broke camp in Arizona last month. He pitched in a minor league game March 12 before heading home to Hawaii to visit his ill father. That caused him to go 14 days between starts, and Alou believes that might have set him back.

That's after he had pitched seven strong innings in his first start in two months late last season in a win against the Padres in San Diego.

"I didn't think losing one start or two would affect him, but it did," Alou said. "I haven't seen the same stuff (from) San Diego after the surgery. I know he's capable of doing it. He's done it before."

Alou, who expects Williams to pitch twice for Fresno before rejoining the Giants, hopes Williams will do better without the pressure of facing major league hitters.

"He needs to address a couple things," Alou said. "We felt it would have taken him longer to do it here."