Minnesota Twins' left-hander Francisco Liriano, who has already thrown one no-hitter this season, is angling for a second one as he takes a no-hitter into the top of the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers.
Liriano was perfect through the first six innings, but lost the bid for a perfect game with one out in the seventh inning when Twins' third baseman Luke Hughes committed an error on a ground ball by Rangers' shortstop Elvis Andrus. Liriano then retired Josh Hamilton and Michael Young to get out of the seventh inning without allowing a hit.
Liriano pitched a no-hitter this season on May 3 at U.S. Cellular Field against the Chicago White Sox in a game that the Twins won 1-0. The Twins currently lead this one 1-0 as well, courtesy of Hughes' two-out RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. While Liriano had control problems in his first no-hitter, he has had no such difficulties today, striking out eight Rangers without surrendering a walk. Liriano has thrown just 73 pitches to get to this point. In his no-hitter against the White Sox, he walked six and needed 123 pitches to complete the game.
Again, as we play the bottom of the seventh inning at Target Field, Francisco Liriano is working a no-hitter against the defending American League champion Texas Rangers. We will keep you updated on the status of the game as it progresses.