MINNEAPOLIS — Mike Pelfrey misses some of his old friends with the Mets, but has quickly learned to embrace life removed from the spotlight.
No longer subjected to the pressure that comes with pitching in New York, the mild-mannered righty has found Minnesota to be a match for his personality.
“This is completely different over here,” Pelfrey said before the Mets beat the Twins 16-5 last night at Target Field. “It’s more low key and I don’t have to talk to 30 media guys every day. It’s kind of refreshing.”
Given the state of their rotation, the Mets could use Pelfrey. But general manager Sandy Alderson wasn’t about to tender Pelfrey a contract last offseason that likely would have carried a $5 million price tag through arbitration.
Only adding to the Mets’ reservations was the fact Pelfrey underwent Tommy John surgery last May and had struggled the previous season. So the 29-year-old Pelfrey wasn’t shocked when he was non-tendered by the Mets in November, making him a free agent.
“I really appreciate the fact Sandy actually called me and told me personally instead of reading it on TV or hearing it from my agent,” Pelfrey said. “You’re always disappointed, but I think you realize it’s a business and I knew that it was going to come, so it wasn’t a total shock.”
Pelfrey, who is 1-1 with a 7.36 ERA in two starts for the Twins, won’t get an opportunity to face the Mets in this series. He caught up with former teammates on Thursday, having lunch with David Wright before finding Jon Niese for a card game.
Pelfrey said it would have been “cool” to face the Mets.
”I could talk tough if things went well, but there’s not any hate or anything on my end,” Pelfrey said. “It’s not like I want to get back at revenge or anything on those guys.”
* Lucas Duda started at DH last night, finishing 0-for-3 with a walk, as manager Terry Collins used Mike Baxter in left field. But with the Twins scheduled to start lefty Scott Diamond today, Collins said he’s leaning toward using Justin Turner as the DH. A possibility for the DH spot on Sunday, according to the manager, is John Buck, allowing the Mets to keep his hot bat in the lineup while giving him a day off from catching.
* Though Bobby Parnell hadn’t received a save opportunity through the first 10 games, Collins said the righty fireballer has impressed him. Parnell pitched a perfect inning against the Phillies on Wednesday, striking out two.
”I would like to get him some save opportunities,” Collins said. “But the other night was as good a stuff as I’ve seen Bobby Parnell have. The first pitch was 97 [mph] and the breaking ball was outstanding, so I would like to get him some shots.”