The Twins have placed righthander Mike Pelfrey on the 15-day disabled list with a strained back. Lefthander Pedro Hernandez, who drove in overnight from Louisville, will make the start in Pelfrey's place.
Louisville was where Class AAA Rochester is playing this weekend.
Pelfrey said his back began to bother him Saturday while running in the outfield. He tried to play catch but the discomfort persisted. ``I hunched over for 15-20 seconds," Pelfrey said. ``It just grabbed."
Pelfrey headed for the trainer's room to inform the Twins of his condition. He hoped to feel better today, but the problem didn't go away overnight. Even then, he told the Twins that he wanted to try to warm up and see if he could make it through his start.
``I wasn't going to fight them too much because I know how bad I feel." he said. ``I wasn't going to get it heated up in 20 minutes.
``I'm pretty sore today."
The Twins already had Hernandez in a car, driving up from Louisville, and told Pelfrey not to push it.
The move will be backdated to June 19, after Pelfrey's last start.
