Minnesota Vs. Detroit 5-10-11
Prior to recording the seventh no-hitter in franchise history, there was talk of demoting Francisco Liriano to the Minnesota Twins' bullpen.
While he's had to wait a couple extra days to pitch again due to the flu, Liriano takes the mound looking to prove his last start wasn't a fluke as the Twins open a two-game set with the visiting Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night.
After allowing 24 runs in 23 2-3 innings over his first five starts and struggling with his mechanics, manager Ron Gardenhire indicated Liriano (2-4, 6.61 ERA) could be in danger of losing his rotation spot.
The left-hander put an end to that talk for the time being by throwing a no-hitter in last Tuesday' 1-0 victory at the Chicago White Sox.
"I didn't want to think about if they're going to put me in the bullpen or anything like that," Liriano told MLB.com. "I just went out there and tried to do my best, and tried to help the team win a ballgame."
Despite walking six and striking out just two - the fewest in a no-hitter since Jerry Reuss recorded two June 27, 1980 - pitching coach Rick Anderson believes Liriano has turned a corner.
"I think it's a big weight off his shoulders," Anderson said. "If a guy says he's not pressing, he's lying. Our team in general -- you look at our offense, our pitching and our bullpen -- they have to be pressing. So it was a big weight off his shoulders, and he can go out and finish what he started and be successful."
Liriano, who helped the Twins (12-21) snap a season-worst six-game losing streak, will again try to play the role of stopper after Minnesota lost the final three of a four-game set at Boston, including a 2-1, 11-inning defeat Monday.
Liriano has allowed three runs or fewer in five of his six career home starts versus the Tigers (18-18), but will now face a tough task against a surging offense. Detroit is averaging 6.0 runs during a 6-1 stretch, which continued with a 10-5 victory at Toronto on Monday.
Victor Martinez, batting .409 with six RBIs during a six-game hitting streak since returning from the DL on Wednesday (strained right groin), went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs.
"When he hits behind Miguel (Cabrera), that's just another quality bat right in the middle of our lineup," Max Scherzer, who improved to 6-0 in Monday's victory, said of Martinez. "That just does so much for our offense overall. The complexion of our offense is looking really good right now."
Martinez is 8 for 18 lifetime against Liriano while Cabrera, mired in a 1-for-18 slump over the last five days, is 7 for 20 with two homers.
Justin Verlander, who along with Liriano was named AL co-player of the week for his no-hitter Saturday, and Scherzer aren't the only Detroit pitchers making big contributions right now.
Following back-to-back losses to start the season, Tuesday's scheduled starter Rick Porcello (2-2, 3.93) has settled in nicely, going 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his last four outings.
The 22-year old right-hander gave up two runs over seven innings to earn the victory in Thursday's 6-3 win over the New York Yankees.
Porcello is 0-3 with a 4.71 ERA over four career starts in Minnesota.
The Twins' Jason Kubel is 10 for 20 lifetime versus Porcello, but fellow outfielder Michael Cuddyer is 2 for 17.
The Twins have won 15 of the last 19 meetings between these clubs in Minnesota.
Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
