I would like to precede this piece with a couple warnings. One, we are working with a small sample size. Two, I also can’t believe what I am about to say, so we are all in this together. I am also scared. We’ll make it through this together.
What if Mike Pelfrey is a good pitcher? Like a valuable starting arm that the Minnesota Twins and their fans can count on. Is that possible? It looks like it might just be.
Pelfrey pitched the Twins to victory on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals and it was beautiful. Pelfrey went seven shutout innings and allowed only seven base runners, five via the hit and two via the walk. It was Pelfrey’s first win since September 23, 2013 against the Detroit Tigers… but the tides have changed.
It was Pelfrey’s third start of the year and each start has gotten progressively better which is all the Twins can really ask for. In his first start, Pelfrey gave up four runs in five innings against the White Sox. Start two resulted in one run in three innings which turned into his third outing in Kansas City.
I’m not saying to expect that Pelfrey will pitch a shutout against the best teams in the league every fifth day, but I am saying that maybe it’s time to actually have expectations for Pelfrey. The Twins desperately need starting pitching and Pelfrey could actually be a helpful hand instead of a hindrance.
The pitching performances of Trevor May and Pelfrey are making it hard to find a spot for Ricky Nolasco to fit back into the starting rotation and that’s a good thing. A very, very good thing.
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