CHICAGO — Trevor May has arrived, Casey Fien has a sore shoulder, and Mike Pelfrey has a new start. Busy day with the Twins.
Ricky Nolasco was officially placed on the disabled list Saturday morning, and May, scheduled to start Monday's home opener against the Royals, is in town and in uniform. He's looking forward to starting his season, May said, and doesn't believe the occasion will affect him on the mound.
"It's as big as a crowd can be, I guess, but beyond that, it's exactly the same," May said of his upcoming Target Field assignment. "I have a little experience up here now. I kind of know how things are, and I've thrown before some pretty big crowds before, so it's good."
Things aren't as good in Fien's shoulder, however. The righthanded setup man said he felt a "bite" in the back of his shoulder when he slipped on the wet mound while throwing his first warmup pitch in Detroit on Thursday. "I got through the inning, and then started some treatment," Fien said. The feeling is stiffness, not pain, he said — "Maybe it's nothing, maybe it's something. We'll see."
Fien, unavailable for Friday's game, played catch in the outfield before batting practice this morning, then had a long talk on the warning track with athletic trainer Dave Pruemer, pitching coach Neil Allen and bullpen coach Eddie Guardado. Manager Paul Molitor said earlier that he would try to avoid using the 31-year-old reliever today, so we'll see if Fien requires any further treatment.
Meanwhile, Pelfrey will try to put 2014 behind him today in the same manner that Tommy Milone did on Friday — by shutting down a pretty good White Sox lineup. Pelfrey hasn't pitched in a real game since May 1, and he insisted all spring that he's a different pitcher than he was a year ago, when he required elbow surgery. He gets a chance to prove it beginning today.
Torii Hunter gets the day off, part of Paul Molitor's plan to give the 39-year-old outfielder roughly one game off per week in order to keep him fresh all season. Shane Robinson gets his first start of the season in right field, and Danny Santana returns to the top of the lineup. Eduardo Escobar is back in Minneapolis to see his one-day-old son.
Here are the lineups for the 1:10 p.m. game:
