Unless he learns how to cloak his fastball with stealth technology, Francisco Liriano might never step onto a mound with a better chance to dominate an opponent than he had on Sunday at Target Field.
He faced a terrible Cubs team and a lineup weaker than the Wi-Fi you steal from your neighbor. The day was hot, reminiscent of Liriano's youth in the Dominican Republic, and Liriano was working in one of baseball's most notable pitchers' parks.
Liriano had his personal catcher and psychotherapist behind the plate, Drew Butera. His team was playing its best baseball since last June, and he had two consecutive strong starts atop his heavily whited-out résumé.
Given all of those advantages, Liriano dominated for five innings.
And failed to complete the sixth.
Liriano once was known as Frankie Franchise. Now he's Francisco Futility.
He failed as a starter for a team that begged him to be its ace, failed at the beginning of a contract season, when most athletes experience season-long adrenaline surges, and then he failed in relief. Reinstated as a starter for no reason other than that deportation would have seemed harsh, Liriano teased once again, allowing only one earned run in 12 innings against Oakland and Kansas City, two teams weaker than O'Doul's.
Sunday offered Liriano a chance to pound another lineup softer than a bean-bag chair, and he continued his dominance, allowing only one run in the first five innings. That one run was the result of a hard-hit ball that Josh Willingham could have caught in deep left field.
