In Twins news tonight, while signs have been encouraging for star outfielder Josh Willingham during his rehab, the same can't be said for veteran starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey in his.
Per Alex Espinoza of MLB.com, while Pelfrey threw five scoreless innings for Triple-A Rochester on Friday night, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire will keep Pelfrey with the Red Wings for the time being:
"His velocity's still not back to where it needs to be," Gardenhire stated. "It was at 88-90 miles an hour, somewhere in there. He'll tell you the same thing; he's trying to figure out mechanically what's wrong with his velocity. That's another hurdle that we'll have to clear. Once he gets to the point when he's ready to come back, we'll just have to make a decision."
Friday was Pelfrey's second rehab start in rehab from a groin injury. As is the case with most pitchers that suffer such an injury, Gardenhire believes Pelfrey might be shortening his stride to the plate - unconsciously protecting himself while costing himself velocity.
However, Gardenhire that believes that the groin is the only thing holding Pelfrey back.
"His arm feels great," Gardenhire said, discounting any other potential injuries that could be holding Pelfrey back. "The only person who can tell us if he's hurting is Mike Pelfrey."
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