There was a report in the Star Tribune before the start of spring training that the Twins were exploring the possibility of trading Francisco Liriano. Joe Christensen was the reporter providing this information to the public.
Fans suggested this couldn't be true -- the Twins could not be considering a trade of the pitcher the club had used to start the first game of the playoffs in 2010. And others in the media, including a normally astute veteran columnist, accepted the reporting but suggested any trade of Liriano would mean giving up on this season.
Liriano had a tender shoulder and Scott Baker had a minor elbow problem at the start of spring training. This took care of any notion the Twins might have had of moving the lefthander to the Yankees, Texas or another club deemed to be in the market for a starter.
Once Liriano was ready to pitch, the Twins were in no hurry to show off his form to the masses. The first time he pitched was in a B squad game on a back field at the Lee County Sports Complex.
He wound up making five official starts and working 18 2/3 innings. He allowed 20 hits, nine walks and 10 earned runs. He also had 23 strikeouts.
Most spectacularly, there was the start March 23 against Baltimore. This was Liriano's semi-windup for spring training, and the Twins were hoping to get five innings from him at a minimum.
Liriano lasted three. He struck out nine. He also gave up four hits, three walks and one run. It was like watching Denzel Washington try to corral a locomotive in his latest runaway train movie.
What the Twins have seen from Liriano in two starts since the season started hasn't been a rescue but a train wreck. He is flying all over the mound, bouncing pitches off every exposed body part of catcher Joe Mauer and rapidly moving the Twins' frustration needle toward 2009 levels.