Liriano Awful In Twins' 5-2 Loss To Detroit

The Minnesota Twins needed to win on Sunday afternoon at Target Field to move back to within five games of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central standings. Unfortunately, "bad" Francisco Liriano took the hill for Minnesota, and dug the Twins into a hole that they could not get themselves out of, resulting in a 5-2 loss that drops them seven games back.

Liriano (6-8, 4.82 ERA) got through the first inning with relatively few issues, but control problems cropped up in the top of the second inning. After Jhonny Peralta struck out to start the inning, Ryan Raburn drew a walk, and moved to second on a wild pitch by Liriano. After a strikeout by Wilson Betemit, Ramon Santiago reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners with two out. With Austin Jackson at the plate, Liriano uncorked his second wild pitch of the inning to allow Raburn to score and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Liriano proceeded to walk Jackson. . .his third walk in two innings. . .before getting Brandon Boesch to fly out to end the inning.

It got no better in the top of the third, as Liriano walked Magglio Ordonez to start the inning. After a strikeout of Miguel Cabrera, Liriano gave up four consecutive singles to Victor Martinez, Peralta, Raburn, and Betemit. Two runs were the result, and the Twins trailed 3-0. Anthony Swarzak came in to relieve Liriano, who was lifted after just 2.1 innings of work that took him 78 pitches to get through. The Tigers got another run on a fielder's choice by Santiago to make the score 4-0, but Swarzak got out of the inning with no further damage being done.

The Twins got a couple of runs back in the bottom of the fourth when Michael Cuddyer led off the inning with a walk. After a strikeout by Jason Kubel, Danny Valencia doubled to left to put runners on second and third. Jim Thome's groundout scored Cuddyer to make the score 4-1, and Delmon Young followed that up with a double to left to score Valencia and cut the deficit to 4-2.

That's all the offense the Twins would be able to manage off of Detroit starter Rick Porcello (10-6, 4.67 ERA). Porcello held the Twins to just those two runs on five hits in six innings of work, and the Twins managed just two more hits the rest of the way. Detroit added an insurance run in the top of the sixth courtesy of another wild pitch, this one by Swarzak, that allowed Jackson to score and give us the final score of 5-2.

The Twins fall to 3-5 in their two series against the teams that were the AL Central co-leaders at the start of the week, and now sit seven games out of first place in the American League Central standings with 61 games remaining in the season.

Minnesota now leaves the friendly confines of Target Field for a ten-game road trip, starting with a four-game series in Arlington against the red-hot Texas Rangers. The first game of the series is on Monday night, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM Central time. The pitching match-up will see right-hander Nick Blackburn (7-6, 3.87 ERA) take the hill for the Twins, while the Rangers counter with left-hander Derek Holland (8-4, 4.65 ERA).

Twins Hope To Salvage Split With Tigers

Just as they did in their series earlier this week against the Cleveland Indians, the Minnesota Twins have an opportunity to, essentially, gain no ground at all in the American League Central on Sunday afternoon. They will finish their four-game set with the Detroit Tigers at Target Field, and with a victory can pull themselves back to within five games in the AL Central race.

The Twins were five games out going into their series against Cleveland on Monday, but split the four-game set to remain five back. After dropping seven back with losses in their first two games against Detroit, the Twins will look for a second straight victory this afternoon.

Minnesota was bolstered on Saturday afternoon by the return of Scott Baker from the disabled list. Baker threw five shutout innings after coming back from an elbow injury suffered before the All-Star break, and the Twins gave him and the rest of their pitchers enough run support in a 4-1 victory. It was their first victory over the Tigers this season.

In order to try to win their second in a row, the Twins will give the baseball to left-hander Francisco Liriano (6-7, 4.56 ERA). Liriano has not take a loss since getting pounded on June 25 against Milwaukee, and a win today would even his record at .500. His only start this season against Detroit was not a good one, as back on May 10 he lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on three hits in a 10-2 Minnesota loss. His last start was on Tuesday, and he pitched well, allowing just one run on four hits to the Cleveland Indians in six innings of work as Minnesota won 2-1.

He will be opposed by Tigers' right-hander Rick Porcello (9-6, 4.76 ERA). He has faced the Twins twice this season, being credited with the victory both times. He was the starter for Detroit in the 10-2 Tigers win on May 10, giving up one run on three hits in five innings at Target Field. He also faced the Twins on June 1 in Detroit, and allowed two runs on six hits in 6.2 innings as Detroit defeated Minnesota 4-2. He is riding a personal three-game winning streak going into this one.

First pitch for this one will be happening at 3:10 PM Central time. It was originally a 1:10 start, but was moved to accommodate today's Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, which will feature former Twin Bert Blyleven. Fans at Target Field will be able to watch the ceremonies on the big screen prior to the start of today's game. Twinkie Town will have their Game Thread up and running for you when the action gets underway, and we will have the recap here for you when things have finished up.

Baker, Twins Get First Victory Over Detroit, 4-1

The Minnesota Twins snapped their eleven-game losing streak to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Target Field, as Scott Baker (8-5, 2.88 ERA) returned from the disabled list and led the Twins to a 4-1 victory over the Tigers. It was their first victory over the Tigers in eight tries this season, and snapped a losing streak that stretched back to last season.

The Twins got on the board early against Detroit starter Brad Penny (7-7, 4.51 ERA), taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Michael Cuddyer's two-out single to left field brought home Ben Revere with the game's first run. Minnesota added to that lead in the bottom of the second, when Danny Valencia took Penny deep to left field for a solo home run to start the inning, increasing Minnesota's lead to 2-0.

Minnesota added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Jason Kubel led off the inning with a single, and moved to second on a wild pitch by Penny. After Valencia drew a walk, Delmon Young ripped a double to left field, bringing both Kubel and Valencia in to score to make the score 4-0.

Baker cruised through his five innings of work, shutting out the Tigers and allowing only three hits and striking out five in his return from the DL. Anthony Swarzak came in to relieve Baker to start the top of the sixth, and allowed the lone Detroit run when Miguel Cabrera's two-out double to right scored Brandon Boesch to make the score 4-1. That would be all the offense Detroit could muster on the afternoon, however, as Phil Dumatrait pitched a scoreless seventh, Glen Perkins kept the Tigers off the board in the eighth, and Joe Nathan closed things out to pick up his seventh save of the season.

With the win, the Twins are back to within six games of the Tigers in the AL Central standings. The Tigers find themselves one game ahead of the Cleveland Indians and 4.5 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox.

Minnesota and Detroit will finish their four-game set on Sunday afternoon at Target Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:10 PM Central time. The Tigers will give the baseball to right-hander Rick Porcello (9-6, 4.76 ERA), while the Twins will turn to left-hander Francisco Liriano (6-7, 4.56 ERA).

Twins Fall To Detroit Once Again, 8-2

If the Minnesota Twins are going to come all the way back in the American League Central this season, it would be helpful for them to defeat the Detroit Tigers at least once. They were unable to accomplish that feat on Friday night at Target Field, falling to the Tigers by a final score of 8-2.

The loss is the seventh straight by the Twins to the Tigers this season, and the eleventh straight time the Twins have gone down against Detroit dating back to last season. Beacuse of the loss, the Twins once again fall to seven games below .500 and seven games back in the American League Central standings.

The Tigers got off to a quick start against Twins starter Brian Duensing (7-8, 4.53 ERA), as Ryan Raburn took homered to left with one out in the top of the first, a solo home run that put the Tigers up 1-0. The long ball also haunted Duensing in the top of the second inning, as Jhonny Peralta hit a solo home run of his own to increase Detroit's lead to 2-0.

The Twins got one back in the bottom of the second, as Danny Valencia's RBI groundout scored Michael Cuddyer to cut the Detroit lead in half at 2-1. Unfortunately, the Tigers didn't take long to respond, as they loaded the bases with two out, and Peralta came through again, this time with a single to center field to score two runs and increase the Detroit lead to 4-1.

The Tigers finally chased Duensing in the top of the fifth, when Peralta again came through with two outs by smashing a double to left field to score Magglio Ordonez and give the Tigers a 5-1 lead. Alex Burnett came in to relieve Duensing, and gave up a two-run single to Carlos Guillen to make the score 7-1. All of the runs were charged to Duensing, who finished the game allowing seven runs (all earned) on nine hits in just 4.2 innings of work. Detroit managed one more run in the top of the sixth, thanks to an RBI single by Victor Martinez that made the score 8-1.

On the Detroit side, meanwhile, Max Scherzer (11-5, 4.35 ERA) was cruising, allowing only one run on four hits in seven innings of work. Minnesota managed to scratch out a run against Detroit reliever Lester Oliveros in the bottom of the ninth, thanks to a Jim Thome RBI single, but it wasn't enough as the Twins wound up falling by a score of 8-2.

The Twins and Tigers will play an afternoon game on Saturday to continue this series, with first pitch scheduled for 3:10 PM Central time from Target Field. The starting pitchers will be right-hander Scott Baker (7-5, 3.01 ERA), returning from the disabled list, for Minnesota, and right-hander Brad Penny (7-6, 4.47 ERA) for Detroit.

Twins Look To Break Tigers' Spell

The Minnesota Twins will once again attempt to get their first victory of the 2011 season over the Detroit Tigers on Friday at Target Field, as the teams meet for the second game of their four-game set. The Tigers have won all six of their meetings against the Twins this year and, conveniently enough, currently sit six games ahead of the Twins in the American League Central division. Detroit's 6-2 victory on Thursday night allowed them to move half a game ahead of the Cleveland Indians into sole possession of first place in the division.

Minnesota could manage just five hits and one run off of Detroit starter Justin Verlander on Thursday night, and the Tigers will hope to have similar success when they send right-hander Max Scherzer (10-5, 4.53 ERA) to the hill. Scherzer has taken losses in three of his last five starts, including his most recent outing on Saturday, when he allowed two runs on eight hits over eight innings of work, but saw his team fall to the Chicago White Sox by a score of 5-0. He has faced Minnesota once this season, back on May 31, allowing seven runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings, but managing a no-decision as the Tigers defeated the Twins 8-7.

The Twins will look to left-hander Brian Duensing (7-7, 4.14 ERA) to help them rebound from Thursday night's loss. Duensing has been credited with wins in three of his last four starts, and has not been credited with a loss since June 23. In his last start, he went 6.1 innings against the Kansas City Royals, allowing three runs on seven hits and getting the win in Minnesota's 4-3 victory. He was the starter for the Twins in the aforementioned 8-7 loss back on May 31, allowing six hits on nine runs in just 4.2 innings, but he also managed a no-decision. He also made one relief appearance against Detroit back on May 10, allowing two runs on three hits (and walking four) in two innings of work in a 10-2 Minnesota loss.

First pitch for tonight's game is scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time at Target Field. Be sure to keep an eye on Twinkie Town for when the Game Thread will get up and running, and check back here for your recap after the game is over.

Twins Have No Answer For Verlander In 6-2 Loss

The bad news for the Minnesota Twins is that they lost to the Detroit Tigers for the sixth time this year on Thursday night at Target Field.

The good news for the Minnesota Twins is that they won't see Justin Verlander again in this series.

Verlander (13-5, 2.24 ERA) dominated the Twins over eight innings, allowing just one run on five hits while striking out nine and leading the Tigers to a 6-2 victory over Minnesota. The loss for Minnesota dropped them six games behind the Tigers in the American League Central standings, while the Tigers pulled half a game ahead of the idle Cleveland Indians for the division lead.

The game was scoreless through the first three innings of play, but the Tigers drew first blood against Twins' starter Carl Pavano (6-7, 4.24 ERA) in the top of the fourth. Pavano started the inning by hitting Brandon Boesch with a pitch, and Boesch moved to second on a ground out by Magglio Ordonez. After a walk to Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez singled to right to load the bases, and Jhonny Peralta followed with another single to right to plate Boesch and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Things could have gotten worse, but Pavano stabbed a ground ball by Carlos Guillen and started a nice 1-6-3 double play to get out of trouble.

Things only got worse from there for Pavano, however. Newly acquired Wilson Betemit singled to left with one out in the top of the fifth, and after getting the second out via strikeout, Pavano served up a two-run homer to Boesch to make the score 3-0. The Tigers got two more in the top of the sixth on an RBI double by Peralta and a sacrifice fly by Guillen.

The Twins answered back in the bottom of the sixth, however. After two quick outs, Alexi Casilla and Joe Mauer put together consecutive singles to put runners on first and second, and Michael Cuddyer brought Casilla home with a single to cut the lead to 5-1. Chuck James came in to relieve Pavano and, after pitching a scoreless seventh inning, gave up a solo home run to Peralta to lead off the eighth, making the score 6-1.

Verlander was apparently bored at that point, so the Tigers brought Phil Coke in to pitch the ninth inning. The Twins managed to scratch out one run in the bottom of the ninth on an error by Betemit at third, but it wasn't nearly enough as Delmon Young grounded out to Coke to end the game.

Pavano's final line had him allowing five runs on nine hits in six innings of work while taking the loss, only his second defeat in his last nine starts.

The second game of the series will take place on Friday night at Target Field, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time. The Tigers will send right-hander Max Scherzer (10-5, 4.53 ERA) to the hill, while the Twins will go with left-hander Brian Duensing (7-7, 4.14 ERA).

Tigers At Twins: Minnesota Looks To Continue Climbing Ladder

Having just completed a four-game set with one of the American League Central's co-leaders, the Minnesota Twins will open up a four-game set with the other on Thursday night at Target Field, as the Detroit Tigers will come to town.

Minnesota just finished a four-game series at home against the Cleveland Indians, thanks to having to make up a rainout with a doubleheader on Monday. The Twins dropped both halves of that doubleheader, but rallied for late victories on Tuesday and Wednesday to split the series and keep themselves from losing any ground in the American League Central race.

In order to make up any ground, however, the Twins are going to have to do something that they have been unable to do in five tries this season, and that's manage a victory over the Tigers. Minnesota has dropped all five of their match-ups against Detroit this season, getting outscored 37-23 in the process.

Things won't get much easier for the Twins in the series opener, however, as they're scheduled to face the man that may be the American League's best pitcher in Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander (12-5, 2.29 ERA). Verlander had an uncharacteristically bad start in his last outing, as he allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits in six innings of work against the Chicago White Sox last Friday. The Tigers ended up dropping that one by a final score of 8-2. Verlander has not faced the Twins yet this season.

The Twins will counter with right-hander Carl Pavano (6-6, 4.08 ERA). Pavano has been pretty solid for the Twins in recent weeks, going at least seven innings in 10 of his last 11 starts. His last outing came this past Saturday, as he allowed three runs on six hits in seven innings of work to the Kansas City Royals, but did not figure in the decision as the Twins beat the Royals, 4-3. Pavano has not faced the Tigers this season.

First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:10 PM Central time. As we get closer to game time, be sure to check out Twinkie Town for their Game Thread so you can discuss the game with your fellow Twins fans, and we'll have your recap back here when the game has finished.