Liriano: Why am I still in the minors?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Francisco Liriano insists he's not frustrated over being in the minor leagues, but the lefthander has one question for the Twins: Why?

"I don't know why they're keeping me down here,'' he said softly. "I don't know why.''

"Here" is Class AAA Rochester, where, with a fastball now topping out at 96 miles per hour and an improving slider, Liriano is putting up numbers that resemble his fantastic but ill-fated 2006 season with the Twins. That year, he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and made the American League All-Star team before an elbow injury ended his season, led to Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery and forced him to miss the 2007 campaign.

Liriano began this season at Class A Fort Myers, briefly joined Rochester and then was promoted to the Twins on April 12. He flopped in three starts and was sent back to Rochester on April 28.

"I'm a much better pitcher now than I was [in April],'' Liriano said. "My velocity is coming back, I'm throwing more sliders ... everything is coming together.''

If Liriano isn't ready to publicly state he belongs in the majors, his agent is. Greg Genske has contacted the Major League Baseball Players Association, and the union has agreed to investigate whether the Twins are violating the collective bargaining agreement by keeping their former phenom in the minors to delay his eligibility for arbitration.

Twins General Manager Bill Smith has scoffed at any suggestion of impropriety, stating Liriano wouldn't have been promoted to the majors in April if they were concerned with his service time.

Friday, manager Ron Gardenhire said Liriano hasn't done anything to damage his relationship with the team.

"Not at all," Gardenhire said. "His agent has nothing to do with what we feel for Mr. Liriano. We'd like Liriano to continue pitching and doing well and doing what he's supposed to do for this organization. He's doing everything right. We can't control the other part of it."

Genske's claim will be hard to prove, considering the Twins are 22-7 since June 13 and have had improved starting pitching during that time. Liriano could have service time and/or compensation awarded to him if the Twins were found guilty of any wrongdoing.

Liriano is 8-2 for Rochester with a 3.34 ERA. He has 94 strikeouts and 28 walks in 105 innings. He hasn't lost since May 15, and in Thursday's victory against Norfolk, he gave up one run in eight innings as his scoreless streak ended at 262/3 innings.

"The velocity is getting better, and so is his command on both sides and down in the zone,'' Rochester pitching coach Stu Cliburn said. "There's not as many misfires.''

Liriano threw 103 pitches Thursday -- 62 fastballs, 27 sliders (20 for strikes) and 14 changeups. It was the slider that led to his elbow injury, so that statistic might have been the most encouraging from Thursday.

"He could have gone the distance,'' said Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn, Stu's twin brother. "I wanted to carry him over 100 pitches to show everybody that his durability is getting stronger and stronger.''

Liriano is diplomatic about his status, not wanting to publicly criticize the Twins.

"It's not frustrating,'' he said. "I've got to be patient and do my job. Just keep on doing what I'm doing now.''

Stan Cliburn told Twins officials back in April he didn't believe Liriano was ready for the majors, but the Twins promoted him anyway. Liriano bombed to the tune of an 0-3 record and 11.32 ERA in three starts.

After Thursday's gem, Cliburn stopped short of saying that Liriano was primed for another shot with the Twins, saying that was the decision of Smith and Gardenhire.

However, Cliburn does say that there's no comparison between the Liriano of April and the one now.

"Back then, he had to prove he was healthy by throwing all of his pitches,'' the manager said. "Now he's setting up his pitches with his fastball, and he's doing it with his out pitch -- his slider.

"Early in the year, he was giving away the changeup because his delivery was violent with the fastball. Now he's poetry in motion.''

Star Tribune staff writer La Velle E. Neal III contributed to this report.