The same old new Liriano excels
The lefty provided a strong start, as usual for 2010 and reminiscent of his best season, 2006.
By AMELIA RAYNO, Star Tribune
When Francisco Liriano walked off the Target Field mound Sunday, there was no grand acknowledgement of his fourth consecutive solid start, nor the 11 strikeouts that nearly matched his career high of 12. It wasn't that the crowd was ungrateful for his quality labor. It's just that in a season when Liriano has challenged as staff ace, a good start has nearly become expected.
Afterward, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire praised Liriano's two-seam fastball as "fantastic" and "unbelievable" and gushed about the lefthander's ability to set up his slider.
The fans have come to expect it, because of the results he has brought. Of his 20 starts, 15 have been quality, and in his past four he has pitched at least seven innings, and given up no runs in three of those. But with Sunday's 4-0 victory over the woeful Mariners, Liriano's seven-inning start brought him two-thirds of an inning short of matching his career-high major league innings count (136 2/3, last season). And it was only Aug. 1.
The stunted season is a trend that has followed Liriano around since he broke into the big leagues in 2005, with every year since being cut short because of fatigue, injuries or struggles sending him to the minor leagues.
His stellar 2010 season has harkened comparisons to the best parts of his electrifying 2006 rookie campaign.
"It was a different story in 2006," Liriano said. "I was just throwing fast, and now I'm pitching."
That All-Star year, however, saw Liriano go on the disabled list in August because of forearm inflammation, and he lasted only two innings in his September return before undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery that cost him all of 2007.
Upon his return in 2008, Liriano threw nearly 200 innings between the majors and minors, but he struggled throughout 2009 before ending up on the disabled list because of a tired arm in August. When he returned last September, he was used only in relief, and his season totals were an unsightly 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA.
"Physically, I don't get tired pitching and my arm feels stronger every start," said Liriano, who improved to 10-7.
So strong, in fact, that after seven innings, he almost seemed surprised to be done.
"When he came off the field, he asked how many pitches he had and Andy [Rick Anderson] told him he had 109, and he said, 'That's it?' " Gardenhire said. "And that tells you how strong he is right now, coming back from where he has been."
As the Twins head down the stretch and Liriano faces uncharted territory in his big-league workload, only time will tell whether that strength will hold up.
Sunday it held the team in a game where Twins batters looked flummoxed by Mariners starter Luke French, at least until the sixth inning. With one out, the bases loaded and the game still scoreless, Jason Kubel caromed a line drive off the right-center field wall to send Alexi Casilla, Delmon Young and Michael Cuddyer home. One batter later, Danny Valencia, who hit .453 in July, followed with a single to left that enabled Kubel to join them.
"Their guy was tough, he had a great changeup today," Gardenhire said of French (0-2). "... We had the big inning, and it's all it took the way our pitchers threw the ball today."
Jon Rauch and Matt Guerrier picked up where Liriano left off, each striking out two in hitless ball. As Casey Kotchman, the final batter of the game, came up to the plate, the sellout crowd of 40,374 rose to watch the Twins complete the three-game sweep and increase their winning streak to a season-high eight games.
I thought Rauch was doing a good job converted 21 of 25. Also don't like giving up one of their better prospects it would be one thing if it was for a SP.
Plus Capps gets right to work with his first Twins save.
Plus Capps gets right to work with his first Twins save.
Plus Capps gets right to work with his first Twins save.
Plus Capps gets right to work with his first Twins save.
