It's hard to decide which is the Twins' bigger concern today -- that they stunk up the Dome on Friday, or that their rotation would look fragile as origami even if they make the playoffs.

Francisco Liriano suddenly is at the heart of both problems.

The Kansas City Royals have won 12 of their past 14 games and, as usual, have nothing to lose. Conventional baseball wisdom tells us this makes them the worst kind of team for a contender to play this time of year.

Conventional wisdom is wrong. If you are trying to prove yourself worthy of the playoffs, you should be able to beat Kyle Davies and a franchise that's in a two-decade slump at home on the final weekend of the season with your supposed ace on the mound.

Liriano, stunningly effective since returning from the minors in early August, looked as uninspired as his teammates on Friday.

His teammates have an explanation -- they had just swept the White Sox, winning tight, emotional games the past two nights.

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The mission already was a bust for Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano when catcher Joe Mauer visited the mound in the fourth inning.

Whether you like to admit it or not, players are human. They suffer letdowns.

Liriano possessed no such excuse. He was pitching with regular rest against an inferior opponent, and he put the Twins in a 4-0 hole after three innings and a 6-0 hole before getting pulled in the fifth.

Liriano's implosion means that even if the Twins make the playoffs, they may not have reason for confidence in the first two games.

Liriano is the one Twin with the stuff to be a staff ace, making him the logical selection to start Game 1 of a playoff series. His loss on Friday will make getting to the playoffs more difficult -- and setting up a quality playoff rotation far more difficult than it would have been three days ago.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has already ruled out using Liriano on short rest to pitch Tuesday, should the Twins need to face the White Sox in a one-game playoff for the division title. Gardenhire would have liked to use Kevin Slowey in that game, but Slowey, who has all three of the Twins' complete games and both of their shutouts this season, took a line drive off his right wrist on Thursday, and the seams were still showing on his skin on Friday night. The Twins are neither pencilling Slowey into a postseason start nor ruling him out.

Gardenhire suggested that Nick Blackburn may now be the choice to pitch if needed on Tuesday in Chicago. Blackburn is 0-2 with a 7.20 against the White Sox and 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA on the road, so the Twins have extra incentive to avoid a playoff with Chicago.

If the Twins could clinch the division title this weekend, it would buy at least one extra day of rest for their pitchers.

The starter in which they should have the most confidence right now, Scott Baker, is pitching Sunday. Because the Twins are loathe to use their young pitchers on short rest, that could rule out Baker until Friday at the earliest. When Baker pitched on three days' rest at Cleveland last week, he allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Most big-league pitchers struggle when pitching on short rest.

Liriano said he struggled Friday because he was too "excited." Maybe that's a euphemism for too "tired." He's pitched 195 innings this season after missing the 2007 season following Tommy John surgery.

"Andy says Liriano is strong as a bull," Gardenhire said, referring to pitching coach Rick Anderson. "I think he's fine."

He was less than fine against the Royals.

Liriano helped pitch the Twins into first place. Friday, he became the latest reason to wonder if they can make it to, or survive, the playoffs.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. jsouhan@startribune.com