Mike Pelfrey could be headed to a bullpen near you.
The Twins starting pitcher was roughed up by the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks in only four innings. His latest poor performance skyrocketed his earned-run average to a career-worst 7.99.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, “We can’t keep watching that,” as reported by the Pioneer Press.
While the bullpen seems like the most likely scenario, Pelfrey could wind up in the minors.
“I don’t want to think about (them) calling me in and telling me to go to the minors or something like that,” Pelfrey said. “I’ve been here for seven years in the big leagues. Obviously, I’m in a funk right now, but I need to figure it out.”
Pelfrey was hoping to make a gigantic leap this season – his second season removed from Tommy John surgery. The tall right-hander went 5-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 29 starts for the Twins last season.
LaVelle Neal of the Star Tribune says fans can look for Samuel Deduno to replace Pelfrey in the starting rotation. Deduno has a 2.81 ERA in seven appearances out of the bullpen this season. He went 8-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 18 starts for the Twins last summer.
Adding Deduno to the rotation would be a plus in terms of having a guy capable of making hitters swing and miss. Deduno is tied with closer Glen Perkins for second on the team with 18 strikeouts. Only Phil Hughes (26 strikeouts) has more.
