Yes. Yes, he did. I know it's only spring training, but every out Francisco Liriano mustered in his three innings of work came on a strikeout. That's...that's astounding. Sure, he allowed four hits and three walks, but he only allowed one run because, well, I guess you could say he came up with big pitches when he needed them.
Just a few notes on the rest of the game, and then we'll have some Kevin Slowey discussion later this morning.
- Luke Hughes went 0-for-2, extending his recent slump. I know he's still mashed five home runs (and is still slugging .557 this spring), but now is a bad time to go into a skid. Why? Because now is when spring rosters are being trimmed, and if he's not careful it'll start to look like he can't hit Major League pitchers now that they're ramping up for the season. Obviously we know Hughes can hit, and honestly I'd still rather have him as our infielder off the bench, but he needs to turn it back on.
- Denard Span was 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base, his sixth of the spring. As the competition heats up, he continues to hold his own.
- Delmon Young is hitting .400 this spring. Just sayin'.
- I mentioned Slowey earlier, and he walked and struck out one in his inning of work. He's looked good this spring, and I think he could give the bullpen a massive boost.
- After going 1-for-2 yesterday, Tsuyoshi Nishioka is hitting .359. Actually, a lot of our main guys are having great spring trainings: Span, Nishioka, Mauer, Kubel, Young...
- Jeff Manship, Phil Dumatrait and Chuck James combined for four scoreless innings in relief. All these guys will be in varying levels of competition to help the Twins out in the bullpen at points this season, and honestly I'm still the most excited to see how James puts his season together. If Glen Perkins and/or Scott Diamond struggle, and they want another lefty in addition to Jose Mijares and Dusty Hughes, James is an interesting option.
That's all for now, we'll see you in a bit!