Mike Pelfrey is out of the rotation for now, and is headed to the disabled list. Sam Deduno will make Pelfrey's next start Tuesday in Cleveland.
Pelfrey revealed a groin injury after Thursday's bad start, manager Ron Gardenhire said, a "tweak" he was trying to pitch through. "He's not an excuse-maker," Gardenhire said in explaining Pelfrey's reluctance to tell the team's athletic trainers about his condition. But the Twins hope it's partly to blame for his loss of velocity.
By going on the disabled list, the Twins can wait until he's healed, then send the righthander on a rehab assignment for as long as 30 days. That should give Pelfrey time to figure out the problems that have resulted in a 7.99 ERA so far this season.
Moving Pelfrey to the DL also means that today will be the only day the Twins have a 14-man pitching staff and two-man bench. The Twins will call up a position player after the game, though Gardenhire would not reveal who that will be. But shortstop Danny Santana is not in Rochester's lineup tonight, and since he's already on the 40-man roster, he seems like the most likely call-up. Gardenhire said Oswaldo Arcia is not ready to return from his rehab assignment.
The lopsided roster is due to the moves the Twins made earlier Friday, promoting lefthander Logan Darnell from Class AAA Rochester to rescue the team's bullpen. Aaron Hicks was placed on the seven-day concussion disabled list, after crashing into the center field wall during Thursday's second game.
Darnell is in uniform and likely will make his major-league debut tonight, since the bullpen is worn out after providing 12 2/3 innings of work during Thursday's doubleheader with Los Angeles.
Here are the lineups for tonight's game, the first of three with the second-place Orioles:
ORIOLES
