Liriano back in majors, Twins back in first

ESPN.com

Updated: August 3, 2008

AP Photo/Hannah Foslien

After a strong performance in Francisco Liriano's return, the Twins celebrated a return to first place.

DOUBLE RETURN

By Mark Simon, ESPN Research

The Twins moved ahead of the White Sox and into first place in the American League Central behind Francisco Liriano's six shutout innings on Sunday against Cleveland.

MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL
• Cubs at Astros, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN

Liriano wasn't flawless (only eight first-pitch strikes against 24 batters), but he was much more effective than he was in the three starts he made at the beginning of the season, when he went 0-3 with an 11.32 ERA. It was somewhat reminiscent of Liriano's first season. In 2005, Liriano had his share of issues in his first three starts -- going 0-2 with a no-decision -- then was solid in his fourth, defeating the Tigers with an eight-strikeout, zero-walk performance. More efforts like the one he offered up Sunday could play a major role in how the AL Central is decided over the next two months.

Francisco Liriano, 2005 vs. 2008
First three starts Fourth start
2005 0-2, 7.36 ERA 7 IP, 2 R, 5 H vs. DET
2008 0-3, 11.32 ERA 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H vs. CLE

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: July 31 | July 30 | July 29 | July 28 | July 27 | July 24

FORWARD THINKING: MONDAY

Ryan Dempster • Astros at Cubs, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN: Ryan Dempster (12-4, 2.90) has given up two earned runs over his past three starts, a stretch of 21 innings. He is 2-0 with one no-decision in those outings. Brian Moehler (6-4, 4.23 ERA) has pitched well in his two outings against the Cubs this season, posting a 3.00 ERA. Still, he walked away from those two outings 0-1 with a no-decision.

Joba Chamberlain • Yankees at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. ET: Fatigue has not been an issue for Joba Chamberlain (4-3, 2.24 ERA) in his transition to the starting rotation. Between pitches 51-75, opponents are hitting .148. Between pitches 76-100, it doesn't get much better, with hitters creeping up to .174. Vicente Padilla (12-5, 4.52 ERA) is 2-0 in three outings since coming off the disabled list July 20.

Glen Perkins • Twins at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. ET: Glen Perkins (8-3, 4.20 ERA) is a big part of the reason the Twins are back in first place. He is 6-1 since May 30. On the other hand, Miguel Batista (4-11, 6.43 ERA) is 1-7 since May 11.

• Complete list of pitching probables for Monday's games

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Keep track of all the home runs hit each day. For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page:

NAME HR OPPPITCHER SITUATION
M. Jacobs, Fla23ColRuschBot 2: 1-1, 0 Outs. None on.
L. Milledge, Was9CinCuetoBot 1: 2-1, 2 Outs. None on.
T. Wigginton, Hou10NYMPerezBot 2: 0-1, 0 Outs. None on.
I. Rodriguez, NYY6LAALackeyBot 5: 1-1, 1 Outs. None on.
M. Aviles, KC7CWSRichardBot 2: 1-1, 2 Outs. 1 on.
B. Moss, Pit1ChCZambranoTop 2: 0-2, 0 Outs. None on.
B. Harris, Min6CleGinterBot 3: 0-0, 1 Outs. None on.
J. Guillen, KC16CWSRichardBot 3: 1-1, 1 Outs. None on.
J. Votto, Cin14WasBalesterTop 6: 1-0, 0 Outs. None on.
M. Holliday, Col21FlaWaechterTop 7: 0-2, 0 Outs. None on.
D. Barton, Oak4BosMatsuzakaTop 5: 0-0, 1 Outs. 1 on.
X. Nady, NYY3LAAArredondoBot 7: 1-1, 2 Outs. 2 on.
M. Teixeira, LAA1NYYRamirezTop 8: 1-0, 2 Outs. Gr. Slam.
A. Ramirez, ChC19PitBeamBot 5: 0-2, 0 Outs. None on.
C. Patterson, Cin7WasHanrahanTop 9: 0-0, 1 Outs. None on.
G. Sheffield, Det9TBBalfourTop 8: 3-2, 2 Outs. None on.
E. Hinske, TB16DetFarnsworthBot 8: 2-1, 0 Outs. None on.
B. Upton, TB7DetFarnsworthBot 8: 3-1, 1 Outs. 1 on.
B. Francisco, Cle11MinGuerrierTop 8: 1-0, 0 Outs. None on.
C. Granderson, Det12TBPercivalTop 9: 0-0, 0 Outs. None on.
D. Span, Min2CleRinconBot 8: 3-2, 0 Outs. None on.
A. Pierzynski, CWS9KCTejedaTop 8: 0-1, 1 Outs. None on.
A. LaRoche, Pit3ChCGaudinTop 8: 3-2, 2 Outs. 1 on.
B. Roberts, Bal8SeaSilvaTop 3: 3-2, 0 Outs. None on.
M. Cabrera, Det20TBPercivalTop 10: 1-1, 0 Outs. None on.
R. Johnson, ChC6PitBurnettBot 8: 0-2, 2 Outs. 1 on.
A. Soriano, ChC19PitBurnettBot 8: 1-2, 2 Outs. None on.
J. Lopez, Sea9BalCabreraBot 6: 2-0, 2 Outs. None on.
S. Drew, Ari13LADJohnsonTop 5: 2-2, 1 Outs. None on.
M. Ramirez, LAD2AriBucknerBot 5: 1-2, 0 Outs. None on.
K. Kouzmanoff, SD15SFMatosBot 8: 1-2, 0 Outs. None on.
M. Kemp, LAD13AriRauchBot 8: 1-1, 1 Outs. None on.
R. Ludwick, StL27PhiMyersBot 4: 0-0, 1 Outs. None on.
G. Laird, Tex5TorPurceyBot 4: 1-0, 0 Outs. 1 on.
C. Utley, Phi28StLWellemeyerTop 6: 1-0, 2 Outs. None on.
C. Davis, Tex11TorPurceyBot 5: 1-1, 1 Outs. None on.
G. Laird, Tex6TorPurceyBot 5: 0-2, 2 Outs. 1 on.
S. Victorino, Phi10StLSpringerTop 8: 3-1, 2 Outs. 2 on.
T. Glaus, StL19PhiLidgeBot 9: 2-1, 0 Outs. None on.


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BBTN ON THE AIR: MONDAY

TIME WHO'S ON?
10 p.m. ET
ESPN		 Host: Karl Ravech
Analysts: John Kruk, Buck Showalter, Eric Young
12 a.m. ET
ESPN		 Host: Karl Ravech
Analysts: John Kruk, Buck Showalter, Eric Young

SPORTSNATION: ALL-TIME FRANCHISE PLAYERS

"Baseball Tonight" wants to hear from you. Go ahead and click here to vote for the all-time franchise players for all 30 big league teams.

"Baseball Tonight" and SportsNation agree: Stan Musial is the greatest Cardinals player in franchise history. Watch Monday when the Reds' best is revealed at 10 p.m. ET on "Baseball Tonight."

BBTN MINUTE: LIRIANO IMPRESSES IN RETURN

SUNDAY'S NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

GOOD
Manny Ramirez• Manny Ramirez has adapted to L.A. pretty well. On Sunday, he went 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs scored in the Dodgers' 9-3 win against the D-backs.
BAD
Fernando Rodney• Fernando Rodney couldn't find the strike zone. He walked three in the ninth inning, including one that forced home the game-winner for the Rays in Detroit's 6-5 loss at Tampa Bay.
UGLY
Scot Shields• Scot Shields had the worst outing on a bad day for the Angels' bullpen. Shields recorded only one out and gave up five runs as the Angels 'pen allowed 13 runs over the final three innings in a 14-9 loss to the Yankees.

SUNDAY DOUBLE PLAY

Every Sunday on the 12:30 p.m. ET "Baseball Tonight" show, Karl Ravech, John Kruk and Steve Phillips take part in the Sunday Double Play competition. Each of them selects a starting pitcher and a hitter to play for Sunday's games. They compete in three categories -- wins, hits and home runs -- based on the results of their selections. The results are cumulative for the season.

This Sunday's pitcher selections and results:

John: Daisuke Matsuzaka (win vs. Oakland)
Steve: Carlos Zambrano (no-decision vs. Pirates)
Karl: Francisco Liriano (win vs. Cleveland)

This Sunday's hitter selections and results:

John: Matt Holliday (1 hit, 1 HR vs. Florida)
Steve: Ichiro Suzuki (1 hit, 0 HR vs. Baltimore)
Karl: Jermaine Dye (0 hits, 0 HR vs. Kansas City)

Here are the standings after the first 16 Sundays:

Wins Hits HR
John 6 22 5
Steve 8 20 0
Karl 10 16 3

Tune in to "Baseball Tonight" at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday for the latest Sunday Double Play selections.

FANTASY: PREVIEW OF MONDAY'S GAMES

Adam Morrison examines the pitching matchups in store for the 11 games on Monday's schedule.

Morrison also looks at current injuries and details player reports that could help shape the way you put together your roster for Monday's games. Daily Notes

NEWS AND NOTES

Jeff Francis• Colorado lefty Jeff Francis is expected to make his return to the rotation on Tuesday. Francis has been out since July 3 with inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Before suffering the injury, Francis had struggled, going 3-7 with a 5.67 ERA in 17 starts.

Rocco Baldelli• Rays manager Joe Maddon and team executives plan to meet with Rocco Baldelli on Monday to discuss the outfielder's recovery. Baldelli, who has been out all season with a mitochondrial disorder, reccently completed his minor-league rehab assignment.

THIS DATE IN MLB HISTORY (AUG. 4)

• 1983: While warming up before the fifth inning of the Yankees' 3-1 win over the Blue Jays game at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium, New York outfielder Dave Winfield accidentally killed a seagull with a thrown ball. After the game, Winfield is brought to the Ontario Provincial Police station on charges of cruelty to animals and is forced to post a $500 bond before being released. The charges were dropped the next day.

• 1985: At Yankee Stadium, the White Sox's Tom Seaver became the 17th player in major league history to win 300 games with a six-hitter against the Yankees. All of the Yankees' hits were singles.

• 1985: The Angels' Rod Carew singled off Frank Viola in the third inning, becoming the 16th major leaguer to amass 3,000 hits.

• 2007: Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to reach 500 home runs. Rodriguez is the 22nd player to reach the mark.