Francisco Liriano's first start back in the minor leagues didn't go much better than the three he had in the majors.
Liriano, sent to Class AAA Rochester last week after a disastrous start in Oakland that lasted less than an inning, allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in the Red Wings' 4-2 loss to Pawtucket on Wednesday. The left-hander, trying to return after elbow surgery cost him the entire 2007 season, walked five and gave up five hits, including a home run, while striking out three. "He's going to have to dig deep and go after it. People think he's been knocked way down -- he's not," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It's part of the process of coming back from something this traumatic."
Gardenhire said Liriano's April failure with the Twins was a necessary experiment.
"I don't think he believed he belonged in the minor leagues. And I don't think his agent believed," Gardenhire said. "I think he was a little confused, because he really thought that he had it all. He thought he could come up here and dominate some people."
Three rough starts ballooned his ERA to 11.32, erasing any doubts about the work he has ahead.
"He sees where he's at. He knows what he has to do. Whether he's going to be able to do it or not, I don't have an answer for you," Gardenhire said. "My pitching coach has seen him throw bullpens that were unbelievable. But then he didn't take it out to the mound. So that's going to be on him. We have a lot of high hopes for this young man. A lot of high hopes."
