twins/mlb
Cramps, heat hinder Liriano
- Article by: LA VELLE E. NEAL III , Star Tribune
- Updated: July 1, 2012 - 11:05 PM
Francisco Liriano walked four, struck out six and gave up five hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings Sunday.
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Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano said he suffered from leg cramps during most of his outing Sunday against the Royals. He would up being knocked out of the game in the sixth inning.
"I tried to battle through it," Liriano said after the Twins rallied to win 10-8.
Liriano gave up four earned runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings, with one walk and five strikeouts. The Royals scored four runs in the sixth inning to take a 5-1 lead; leaving Liriano most disappointed were walks to Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon during that inning.
Pitching during a warm and humid day at Target Field -- game-time temperature was 91 degrees -- Liriano fell behind hitters and watched his pitch count soar to 107 by the time he was removed from the game.
"After the second inning, I started having problems with cramps," he said. "It affected me for the rest of the game."
Liriano entered Sunday 2-2 with a 2.41 ERA in seven starts since returning to the rotation and looked to be in the middle of turning his season around. Now he has to stay hydrated and prepare for his next scheduled start on Friday at Texas.
International signing dayThe Major League Baseball draft took place a month ago, but teams aren't done adding talent.
Beginning on Monday, teams can sign international prospects age 16 or older. The Twins have increased efforts in recent years to add more talent this way, particularly from Latin America. And the Twins are interested in a couple of top prospects this year.
One is Amaurys Minier, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. He is expected to eventually move to third base, but he's a switch hitter with power potential from both sides of the plate. He's expected to land a seven-figure bonus.
The other is Venezuelan catcher Luis Torrens, who also is a good hitting prospect. The Twins appear to have a better chance to land Minier: The Yankees have the best shot at Torrens, according to Baseball America.
The Twins couldn't afford both of them anyway. Just like with the draft, MLB is trying to control bonus money handed to international prospects. Each team has a $2.9 million signing bonus pool to sign international prospects. The Twins gave infielder Miguel Sano, currently their top prospect, $3.15 million in 2009.
All teams must consider those spending limits over the next few weeks as they negotiate with international prospects.
"We're fairly confident with the number of players we have been discussing things with," said Mike Radcliff, Twins director of player personnel, "but you just don't know for sure."
Capps to test shoulderCloser Matt Capps, on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder, is going to play some catch Monday to see how he feels. By now, the cortisone shot he took last week should have worked its way through the shoulder.
If all goes well, Capps will head out on a rehabilitation assignment before the All-Star Game. The righthander is 1-4 with a 3.42 ERA and 14 saves.
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