Rookie rest: RHP Rick Porcello will have his next start skipped, giving him about 2 weeks off

Tigers plan to skip Rick Porcello’s next start

DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers are giving their rookie right-hander a rest.

Rick Porcello will have his next turn in the rotation skipped and manager Jim Leyland insisted his last two starts did not factor in the decision.

“It was pretty much planned for a while,” Leyland said Monday before Detroit opened a homestand against the Kansas City Royals.

Leyland said the team is trying to protect the 20-year-old Porcello by not scheduling him to pitch until after next week’s All-Star game.

“We’ll let him get away from it,” Leyland said.

Porcello (8-6) has a 4.14 ERA with 47 strikeouts and 31 walks over 87 innings.

His smooth season hit some bumps recently.

He gave up nine earned runs in his last two outings after allowing eight earned runs in his previous four starts.

Porcello won five straight starts earlier this season, becoming the first pitcher 20 or younger to accomplish the feat since Dwight Gooden did it in 1985 with the New York Mets.

Detroit drafted Porcello, who is from Morristown, N.J., 27th overall in 2007 and he spent only one season in the minors before earning a spot on the team this year.

Leyland said the Tigers knew there would be days like Sunday, when Justin Morneau hit a two-run homer in Minnesota’s six-run inning against Porcello.

“After the home run, he panicked a little bit and got just totally out of sync,” Leyland said. “I consider that losing your composure a little bit.

“But it’s fine and dandy, it’s not a big issue and it’s nothing we didn’t expect to happen when you took a 20-year-old kid to the big leagues.”