Twins' Pelfrey displaying that look of an ace

Mike Pelfrey pitched great Sunday, so Trevor Plouffe might want to invest in Kevlar.

Baseball players are superstitious. Sunday, Pelfrey pitched eight shutout innings after body-slamming Plouffe on a clubhouse couch, so Plouffe might have to get used to being pummeled once every five days.

Kind of like hitters facing Pelfrey. "He likes mouthing off," Pelfrey said. "And I like to take it to him."

Three years after having Tommy John surgery and three months after being demoted to the bullpen during spring training, Pelfrey is the de facto ace of a first-place team. He's 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA and a mean suplex.

"I don't know if fans wanted to see me in the rotation, the way the last two years have gone," Pelfrey said. "But I knew how the ball was coming out of my hand this spring."

Sunday, Pelfrey allowed one hit in each of his eight innings and earned the victory in the Twins' 2-0 win over Milwaukee. He thought his day was done after the seventh, but Twins manager Paul Molitor wanted to rest his bullpen and sent Pelfrey out for the eighth.

With a runner on first, two out and slugger Ryan Braun at the plate, Molitor went to the mound … and left Pelfrey in. Braun lined out to third baseman Eduardo Nunez to end the inning.

"I appreciate the confidence he showed in me," Pelfrey said.

The last time Pelfrey pitched eight innings, it changed his career. On April 21, 2012, he held the Giants to one run, lowering his ERA to 2.29, but felt tightness in his right arm.

He was headed for Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, which ended a promising season and eventually made him available to the Twins in free agency. With the Twins, he eagerly tried to pitch 11 months after the surgery.

"I probably came back too early," he said.

Even last year, Pelfrey felt numbness in his fingers and "didn't know where the heck the ball was going."

He began to find more life in his pitches while throwing during the winter. During spring training, Pelfrey asked new bullpen coach Eddie Guardado to show him his proprietary grip.

"He looked at my grip and said, 'Man, that will never work,' " Pelfrey said. "I looked at his grip and said, 'Man, that will never work.' "

Pelfrey fiddled with Guardado's recommendation and suddenly had a change-of-speed pitch to complement his mid-90s fastball and sharp slider.

"That splitter has been so big for me," he said.

This spring, Pelfrey reacted angrily when the Twins moved him to the bullpen. Pelfrey vented to reporters, then to General Manager Terry Ryan.

"My frustration was that I could see how the ball was coming out of my hand," Pelfrey said. "I knew what I did this offseason to get myself ready. I thought it was paying off and I was throwing the ball great. That news really took the air out of my sails.

"I was frustrated and upset. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. But I felt a lot better after meeting with Terry, who I respect. Then Ervin went out."

Ervin Santana's half-season suspension for violating baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy led to the most emblematic and essential move of the Twins' season. Pelfrey replaced Santana, who signed the richest free-agent contract in franchise history, in the rotation. When Santana returns in July, Pelfrey might still be the staff ace.

"That's not the way I wanted to get into the rotation," Pelfrey said. "But I wanted to make the most of it."

Being part of the winning has meant being part of the clubhouse silliness. Pelfrey had so much energy when he woke up that he went for a pregame run for the first time in his career. He wrestled Plouffe, pitched eight innings, then returned to his locker only to have Phil Hughes, hiding behind Pelfrey's clothes, blast him with an air horn.

"I always have high expectations for myself," Pelfrey said as he watched his teammates attack each other with air horns. "And all of this is what you want."

Jim Souhan's podcast can be heard at souhanunfiltered.com. On Twitter: @SouhanStrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com