Liriano Sent Down

Expectations for Francisco Liriano's 2008 season were generally tempered as he tried to work his way back from 2006's Tommy John surgery. But nobody expected a start this shaky, especially considering that 18 months between the surgery and the start of this season was ample time for his arm to return to health. After failing to get out of the 1st inning on Thursday afternoon Liriano was sent to Rochester in favor of right-handed reliever Bobby Korecky. In three starts, Liriano struggled mightily with his control, walking 13 in 10 1/3 innings en route to posting an 11.32 ERA. His velocity was also down in the high-80's to mid-90's range and he simply did not have command of his pitches. Considering the Twins are looking to alter his mechanics, early struggles are no real surprise, but the lack of pop on his fastball and the reluctance to throw his slider are bad signs as he works his way back. The slider was the pitch that set him apart during his epic 2006 run and was virtually unhittable at times. It is understandable that he and the Twins both would like to cut back on the use of the slider but at this point his other stuff is not strong enough to thrive without it. Francisco will have a chance to straighten things out in Triple-A, where he started the year with several uninspiring outings. Nobody expected to see the 2006 version of Liriano this season but such discouraging outings out of the gate beg the question of how much he will be able to contribute this year. If he can regain the life on his fastball and refine his change-up, he should be able to settle into the back of the rotation, or at the very least work his way back in Rochester in hopes of breaking into the 2009 Twins rotation. With no need for a 5th starter for a couple weeks, Korecky will work in relief until the Twins get a fully healthy Kevin Slowey back in the rotation.

With Michael Cuddyer scheduled to come off the DL, the Twins also sent down outfield Denard Span. Span was better than expected during his first stint in the bigs. He showed decent plate discipline and hit .276 during his trip to the MLB. But his punch and judy style of hitting was a liability every time the Twins started him in right field. His .276 slugging percentage was merely unacceptable at a position where offense is a must. Cuddyer will likely step back into the 3-spot which moves Mauer back to 2 and balances out the entire lineup, hopefully giving it a spark as the team moves into the second month.