Twins Try to Give Pitching a Boost by Acquiring Carlton From Indians

Left-hander Steve Carlton, ninth on baseball’s all-time victory list and second in career strikeouts, was acquired Friday by the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins acquired Carlton, baseball’s top winner among active pitchers with a 328-238 career record, from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later. Carlton’s 4,111 strikeouts are second only to Nolan Ryan’s 4,430.

Carlton, 42, replaced right-hander Mike Smithson on the Twin roster. Smithson was sent to the minor leagues Wednesday.

Carlton, who is expected to join the Twins in Anaheim Monday, is scheduled to start Tuesday night’s game against the Angels.

“We think our pitching needed a boost,” said Bob Gebhard, the Twins’ director of major league personnel who scouted Carlton last week and recommended that the Twins acquire the veteran. “We felt that Steve Carlton was the best thing we could have on this ballclub at this time. You don’t knock Steve Carlton’s history. He’s seen a lot of these August-September pennant drives. He knows how to win. He carries a winning attitude, and that’s always good to have this time of year.”

Carlton was 5-9 with a 5.37 earned-run average with the Indians, who picked him up at the end of spring training after he was released for the second time in less than a year by the Philadelphia Phillies.

A five-time All-Star and four-time World Series participant, Carlton has a 3.16 career ERA.