Carlos Silva (born April 23, 1979 in BolĂvar State, Venezuela) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the Minnesota Twins since 2004. Previously, he played for the Philadelphia Phillies (2002-03). He bats and throws right handed. Silva was acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for Eric Milton, who was a staple of the Minnesota rotation since 1998. During May 2006, Silva was demoted to the bullpen after struggling through the beginning of the season. It is hoped he will return to the starting rotation soon, possibly trading positions with struggling #5 starter Scott Baker. Silva's old #3 slot is currently occupied by Francisco Liriano. Silva throws a mid-nineties fastball, a breaking ball and a changeup. He is known for his relatively quick pace, as he takes very short breaks between pitches. An extreme ground ball pitcher, Silva has excellent command of his pitches, walks few batters and has the ability to prevent home runs.
With the Twins, Silva made a successful conversion from reliever to starter, for one of the biggest surprises in the 2004 season. He posted a 14-8 mark in 203 innings pitched and finished second in the rotation behind Cy Young winner Johan Santana. In 2005 he set the record for walks per 9 innings in the modern era with an average of .43 BB/9 innings.
Through 2004, Silva has posted a 22-9 record with 165 strikeouts and a 4.04 ERA in 374.1 innings.
