MINNEAPOLIS -- Mike Pelfrey was gassed -- his exact phrase. He told his pitching coach, Neil Allen, that he was going to give it everything he had in the seventh inning of Sunday's game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Turns out Pelfrey had a little bit left in the tank.
The Twins right-hander not only pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in his three seasons with Minnesota, but he completed the inning to keep the Brewers at bay. After closer Glen Perkins locked down his 21st save in his 21st attempt, Pelfrey was a winner yet again as Minnesota avoided the sweep with a 2-0 victory.
It seems as if Pelfrey continues to get stronger and stronger as the season goes on. Sunday's eight-inning outing was the latest example in that case study.
"That was a big-time performance," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Pelfrey. "To get eight innings was really, really big -- and all zeroes."
After Pelfrey allowed a two-out single to Brewers designated hitter Jonathan Lucroy in the top of the eighth, he was paid a visit on the mound by Molitor. Milwaukee right fielder Ryan Braun -- who homered one day earlier in his return to the lineup -- was due up. Pelfrey had already struck out Braun twice but gave up a double to him in the sixth inning.
When Molitor started walking to the mound, Pelfrey figured there was a chance his day was done as the Twins had some activity in the bullpen -- even though Pelfrey was still hitting 96 mph in the eighth. Instead, Molitor gave his starter a vote of confidence and kept him in the game to finish the job.
Sure enough, Braun lined out to a leaping Eduardo Nunez at third base to end the inning. Pelfrey backed up Molitor's confidence in him by continuing his hot streak.
"He said, 'I want you to face him,'" Pelfrey recalled of the conversation with his manager. "I said, 'Let's go.' I thought that he was going to take me out after seven. I was gassed. He was like, 'Hey, I'd like for you to get one more.' I said, 'All right, let's do this.' I wasn't going to tell him no. I like the challenge, and luckily I was able to come through."
It was Pelfrey's longest outing since April 21, 2012, which also happened to be his last start before having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow to end his tenure with the New York Mets. Unlike that game, Pelfrey said he feels healthy right now, a big key to his turnaround in 2015 following two disappointing seasons with the Twins.
After he was slated to begin the season in the bullpen, Pelfrey has quickly transitioned into Minnesota's best starting pitcher. Sunday's eight shutout innings lowered his ERA for the season to 2.28. Only three starting pitchers in the American League have a better ERA -- Oakland's Sonny Gray (1.65), Houston's Dallas Keuchel (1.85) and Tampa Bay's Chris Archer (2.01).
"For him, this year's crucial for him. He's a free agent," Twins right fielder Torii Hunter said of Pelfrey. "The way he's pitching, he's pitching with I'll say a little anger, I'll say a little passion, and maybe a sense of urgency to get it done. He's doing that. . . . He's one of the best pitchers in the league right now."
Pelfrey allowed a total of eight hits in Sunday's eight innings, exactly one hit in each inning. Four of those eight hits came at the start of the inning, but Pelfrey used a pair of double plays and a season-high seven strikeouts to avoid any real trouble. The only time the Brewers got a runner past second base was in the sixth, when Braun advanced to third with two outs on a wild pitch by Pelfrey.
Aside from that, Pelfrey pitched with a confidence the Twins have seen grow as the year has progressed. Now Minnesota hopes that trend continues for Pelfrey as 2015 continues.
"He stayed away from the big hits," Molitor said. "They tried to have a good approach, but he mixed it up enough. He pitched into those righties a lot and opened up the outside of the plate for him a little bit. . . . I think being able to command the inside part of the plate early helped him throughout the course of the game."
As has been customary at Target Field this year, the star (or stars) of the game have to dance in the Twins' postgame dance party. Pelfrey has been in that spot before, but Hunter said Pelfrey's dance moves -- like his pitching -- have improved throughout the season.
If there was a question of how much fun Pelfrey and the Twins are having, look no further than the prank his fellow pitchers pulled on him. Phil Hughes hid in Pelfrey's corner locker, armed with an air horn, and scared the right-hander while Brian Duensing captured it on video.
"He got me pretty good," Pelfrey said of Hughes. "I've seen some good ones the last couple days. . . . I totally wasn't thinking about that, and he got me, so that was pretty good."
Twins option Santana: Following Sunday's game, the Twins announced they optioned shortstop Danny Santana to Triple-A Rochester and recalled first baseman/designated hitter Kennys Vargas from Rochester.
Santana went 1 for 4 in Sunday's 2-0 win but picked up his 49th strikeout of the year and left four runners on base. He's batting just .218 this season in 48 games. Molitor said Eduardo Escobar -- who drove in a run Sunday with a triple -- will be the Twins' primary shortstop for the time being.
"We've talked a lot as of late about the bar that he set and how he's been really, really trying to get back into that situation offensively," Molitor said. "He's just a kid who has fun when he's playing well, and it hasn't been very pleasurable for him as of late. You can see the struggle. We'll remove the burden of trying to get hits for a while, even though obviously that's what you want to do. It's a little different spotlight."
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