In his first start after pitching a no-hitter, Francisco Liriano lasted only three innings before he was lifted due to illness. When compared to the people in attendance at Target Field on Tuesday night, it looks like Liriano got off easy.
The Twins once again looked lifeless and flat, and as a result ended up getting blown out by the Detroit Tigers at Target Field by a final score of 10-2.
Detroit scored early and often on the evening, getting two runs in the second on a two-run homer by Jhonny Peralta, and two more in the top of the third on a single by Victor Martinez. They added another run in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Scott Sizemore courtesy of Brian Duensing, and scored yet another in the top of the fifth thanks to a double by Martinez.
Rene Tosoni got the Twins on the board in the bottom of the fifth when he led off the inning with a solo home run to right-center, his first in the Major Leagues, to cut the deficit to 6-1. The Tigers continued to add runs, however, as Brandon Boesch had a two-RBI single in the top of the seventh to make the score 8-1. Although Luke Hughes drove Tosoni home with a double in the bottom of the seventh to make the score 8-2, Detroit got two more in the top of the eight. Martinez drove home his fourth run of the evening with a groundout, and Casper Wells came home on what was scored as a passed ball by Drew Butera to finish the night's scoring.
The most interesting thing that happened during the evening was a rain delay in the bottom of the fourth inning. Actually, it wasn't rain so much as it was golf ball-sized hail that sent many people scurrying for cover. Not surprisingly, when the teams came back on the field after a delay that lasted a little more than an hour, the crowd was noticeably smaller than it was when things got started.
Liriano took the loss for the Twins, allowing four runs on three hits in his three innings of work, walking three and striking out one. His record on the year falls to 2-5, and his ERA is now 7.07. Rick Porcello got the win for the Tigers, and he now has a record of 3-2 on the season with a 3.67 ERA, having allowed one run on three hits in his five innings of work, with two walks and one strikeout.
The same two teams will get together tomorrow at Target Field for a businessman's special, with first pitch set to be thrown at 12:10 PM Central time. The Twins will go with right-hander Scott Baker (2-2, 2.97 ERA), while the Tigers will counter with southpaw Phil Coke (1-5, 4.75 ERA).