No. 14, Encarnacion/Sojo - The Baseball Thread continues

The Twins are apparently showing Liriano who's boss now that he's filing a grievance over not coming up. So what if he has 10 straight wins and keeping him in the Minors hurts the club's chances of winning? It's the principle, right? Or is it arbitration eligibility?

 

Pitching help is on the way to the Bronx.

Phil Hughes and Carl Pavano threw 2 shutout innings in a Class A rehab start.

 

Francisco Liriano has been utterly dominant at AAA Rochester, Casty.

He's 10-0 with a 2.93 ERA and 80-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his last 71 innings, all starts.

The problem is twofold -- but, mainly, the toughest choice is who to send down in his place. Also, Liriano and his agent think they're not calling him up so as not to extend his service time -- and they probably have a point.

Slowey has been nails. Ditto Baker. Blackburn has been alternately great and awful, so he's looking like the prime suspect. Bonser has been bad, but they seem to think he has the best makeup to pitch out of the pen. Perkins, who won last night, has been a long man out of the pen at times before.

He's coming up soon, I sincerely think and desperately hope.

 

BTW, I know hindsight is 20-20, but what would the AL Central look like if the Twins had simply gone with their kids instead of trying to patch holes with mediocre veterans?

Had they simply started the year with Span, Gomez and Cuddyer in the OF and Buscher, Casilla and Punto in the infield, their team would look almost identical to how it does now. Even with the Santana trade, they'd be heading down the stretch with a rotation of Garza, Liriano, Slowey, Baker and Blackburn.

Viva la Redwings! Let the kids play!

 

The baseball is meaningless, but at least there's never a dull moment. Apparently, even the stoic Dayton Moore is reaching his limit...

http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/726559.html

 

A healthy Buchholz spent an extended amount of time tearing it up in Pawtucket earlier this season, too, but didn't say anything. And I have my doubts the Twins are holding Liriano down because of arbitration eligibility -- of that were the issue, why would he be with the Twins to start the season? Why would they rush him back?

 

They thought he would be ready to start the season. And remember, back then, no one was sure how any of the kids -- Baker, Blackburn or Slowey -- would pitch. At the time, Livan and Boof were considered the only sure things.

Oh, how things change.

 

Point is, Zeke, Liriano would be their best pitcher right now so any of the starting 5 being demoted would not be unfair.

 

No one wants to see him come up more than me, spnited.

But he was supposed to be their best pitcher breaking camp, too.

 

True, but right now he is better than Blackburn or Perkins. Those two have been decent, but not so spectacular that they could't be demoted or, in Perkins' case, moved to the bullpen.

I leave Hernandez out because somehow they think his veteran presence is worth the 5.60 ERA.

 

You can't send Hernandez down. I'm sure he doesn't have any options. He's been in the bigs for how long now?

Casilla going down might open a roster spot, if they can do something with Everett. Then Perkins or Blackburn to the pen and Liriano up.

I can see them making the move on Thursday or Friday.

 

I know you can't send Hernandez down, or to the bullpen. I think they should cut him loose, but they won't, so sending Blackburn down makes the most sense.