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Twins pin hopes on Pelfrey in Kansas City

Apr 9, 2013 - 3:11 PM (Sports Network) - Former first-round draft pick Mike Pelfrey makes his second start with his new team Tuesday night when the Minnesota Twins visit the Kansas City Royals for the second of three games at Kauffman Stadium.

A 6-foot-7 product of Wichita State, Pelfrey was the ninth overall pick of the 2005 draft by the New York Mets and made 153 appearances - 149 starts - with New York through the end of 2012, winning 50 games.

He became a free agent after the season and signed a one-year deal with the Twins worth $4 million.

Pelfrey's American League debut came April 4 against Detroit and he made it a good one, allowing a pair of unearned runs in 5 1/3 innings in an 8-2 defeat of the Tigers.

He has never faced the Royals.

Kansas City counters with a former first-round pick of its own - Jeremy Guthrie - who'll make his second start in his first full season with a new team.

Guthrie was the 22nd overall pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2002 and pitched for the Indians, Baltimore and Colorado over nine seasons before being traded from the Rockies to the Royals on July 20, 2012.

He was 5-3 in 14 starts with Kansas City to wrap up the season, then became a free agent and re-signed with the Royals in the offseason, inking a three-year contract worth $25 million.

He pitched six strong innings in his 2013 debut, allowing just a run on five hits in a 3-1 defeat of the Chicago White Sox.

Guthrie is 4-2 in seven career meetings with the Twins with a 3.31 earned run average across 51 2/3 innings.

On Monday, the Royals rallied to score three runs in the eighth inning and defeated the Twins, 3-1, in their home opener.

Alcides Escobar, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon had an RBI apiece for the Royals, who saw starter Ervin Santana (1-1) pitch eight innings of one-run ball. Aaron Crow pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save.

Ryan Doumit drove in the Twins' lone run in the first inning. Starter Kevin Correia (0-1) allowed three runs on eight hits over 7 1/3 innings in defeat.

"I'd rather have a bad outing and win the game," said Correia. "At this point in my career I'm not really trying to pad my stats or anything like that. I just want to go out there and win the game. Santana threw a helluva game, so you're going to run into that here and there."

The Twins won 11 of 18 games against the Royals in 2012, including six of nine in Kansas City.