Francisco Liriano Demoted to White Sox Bullpen

With the return of right hander Gavin Floyd from injury, Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura announced that Floyd would re-join the starting rotation on Wednesday, opposite Max Scherzer, in the third game of this week’s pivotal series with the Detroit Tigers.

Liriano has been disappointing since joining the Sox. Image: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

The man who was originally slated to get the ball on Wednesday is southpaw Francisco Liriano, but pitching coach Don Cooper indicated that this isn’t a case of bumping Liriano back a few days or skipping a start; instead, he is expected to be readily available in relief during the series with Detroit. If it works out that he is rested afterward, Liriano may return to the rotation, but that much seems far from certain.

Chicago picked up Liriano just before the non-waiver trade deadline when their overtures to land a top-tier starter were rebuffed. They settled instead for a guy the Twins figured to non-tender after the season, despite the no-hitter he tossed earlier this year. Control issues have plagued Liriano throughout his career and they continue to haunt him on the Southside, where he has walked 15 batters in his last 14 innings.

Liriano stands at 5-11 with an ERA of 5.25 in 30 games (25 starts) between two clubs this season. His ERA in eight starts with Chicago is a bit better at 5.09, but his WHIP stands at better than 1.6 and his walks have jumped to six per nine innings; the highest mark of his career. Liriano still has excellent strikeout rates, but he has not been able to consistently out-pitch his wildness this year.

Floyd has made 24 starts this season, posting a 9-9 record and 4.55 ERA. He also leads the league with 14 hit batsmen despite working only 138 innings thus far. Floys is 7-2 with a 3.42 ERA in seven career starts versus the Tigers.

For more on Robin Ventura’s bunch, visit Southside Showdown.