Francisco Liriano Likely Done for the Year
By Editorial Staff
Francisco Liriano has been out since the end of August with a strained shoulder, and his manager isn’t convinced that the left-hander will be rejoining the Minnesota Twins rotation this season.
While meeting with members of the media yesterday, Ron Gardenhire said there’s a good chance Liriano is done for the year.
If it were up to him, Liriano would like to return for the end of the season. It appears there are may be some different beliefs on how the rest of Liriano’s season is handled. Gardenhire told reporters that some believe Liriano should pitch again this year while others think he should just shut it down and prepare for 2012.
Liriano last pitched for the Twins August 25th, hit the disabled list the next day and hasn’t thrown since. An MRI revealed no structural damage, but the club still sent Liriano to meet with specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum for a second opinion this weekend.
This recent injury is the second shoulder issue that’s caused Liriano to miss time this season. Liriano missed two weeks earlier in the year while dealing with inflammation in his throwing arm.
If this is to be the last we see of Liriano, he will finish the year with an ERA of 4.84 over his 24 starts and 132 innings.
There wasn’t much space in between Liriano’s high and low points this season. After getting hammered to the tune of a 9.13 ERA through his 5 April starts, Liriano opened May with 2011’s first no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox.
For more on the Twins, be sure to check out Puckett’s Pond.