Francisco Liriano -- and his agent who wants to investigate and possibly sue the Minnesota Twins -- are all fired up about him being stuck down in the minors. Yes, he has been lights out over his last four starts with the Rochester Red Wings, going 4-0 with a 0.32 ERA, including an eight-inning effort on Thursday where he allowed just one earned run on seven hits with 8 strikeouts. His fastball is even flirting with 97 mph. So what's the holdup? I want to see Franchise pitch in the majors just as much as the next girl, but there are things to consider. Like, how he pitched in the beginning of the season for the Twins: 0-3 with an 11.32 ERA over just 10.1 innings. 13 earned runs. 15 hits. 13 walks. Yeah, not so awesome. And how he's never really been all that honest when it comes to his health: see his return to the big leagues in September of '06.
More importantly, the Twins have been nothing short of dominant lately, including their starters, who've given them the shot at winning 21 of their last 28 games. The bottom line is, right now there is no room in the rotation for Liriano. The most vulnerable hurler is veteran Livan Hernandez, whose 3-4 record and 7.28 ERA over his last 10 starts makes him a target for trade talks to free up a spot, but his recent performance makes him less than desirable.
The Twins will recall Liriano at some point to contribute in the second half, it's only a matter of time. Minnesota GM Bill Smith hasn't forgotten what kind of pitcher the kid is, highlighted by an outstanding 2006 season where he went 12-2 with a 1.96 ERA in his first 26 games, including 14 starts. Of course, this was all before his Tommy John surgery and two attempted comebacks.
If Ron Gardenhire could be ejected from a press conference, Thursday would have been the day. He was hot while discussing Liriano's agent, Greg Genske's actions in contacting the Players' Association to begin an investigation to find out whether the club has kept the 24-year-old lefty at the AAA level to prevent him from qualifying for salary arbitration.
"His agent does what he does, and Liriano has been nothing but super in AAA and done everything we've asked of him," Gardy said. "His agent has nothing to do with what we feel for Mr. Liriano."Super!
Patience in the minors is not only a virtue, it's a necessity. If Liriano knows what's best for his pitching career, he'll tell his agent to shut the hell up.
[FSN] | [Walkoff Walk] | [Major League Jerk] | [Bleacher Report]
6 comments:
All this does is make Liriano look like a total dick. Hopefully his agent withdraws the call for an investigation and Liriano can come up and pitch when the Twins need him.
I agree with Kaitlynn, but I can understand Liriano's frustration. However, he and his asshole agent need to realize that success doesn't happen overnight (even though it seemed to in 2006) and that Minnesota will recall him when they need to. There's no crying in baseball!
Liriano has been pitching so well in the minors that should be proof enough he can play. move Hernandez to the bullpen or trade him and get that kid up there where he belongs!
Sweet LL Cool J reference, Suz.
I say just dump Livan altogether and call up Liriano. If he doesn't work out, they can always bring Boof back into the rotation.
Livan Hernandez, given the time and opportunity could turn into the dead weight that was Terry Mulholland just a few seasons ago.
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