AAA lefty Liriano sports ERA under 1.50

St. Paul Pioneer Press
Staff and wire reports

Francisco Liriano continues to prove to the Twins organization he is ready to pitch in the majors.

Liriano had another outstanding outing for Class AAA Rochester in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday against Ottawa, pitching seven shutout innings.

'How would you like to fall out of bed and face Liriano?' said Twins minor league director Jim Rantz, referring to the 9:35 a.m. EDT start to the first game.

How ready is Liriano (7-1, 1.46 earned-run average) for the majors? In his past three starts, the 21-year-old left-hander has not allowed a run and just six hits while striking out 27 batters.

Injury update: Rochester right-hander J.D. Durbin, who had been out with shoulder tendinitis since July, was activated from the disabled list Thursday. The plan is for him to work out of the bullpen to determine whether he is ready to return to the starting rotation.

Meanwhile, Red Wings left-hander Dave Gassner (elbow inflammation) was placed on the disabled list Thursday. He will be out for a week to 10 days.

So close: Add another fast-rising pitching prospect to the Twins' long list — Class A Beloit's Kevin Slowey.

The right-hander was one out away from a no-hitter in a 7-0 victory at West Michigan on Aug. 6. Slowey surrendered his only hit, a bloop single, to West Michigan's No. 9 hitter with two outs in the ninth. He struck out 10 batters.

Slowey, a second-round pick (73rd overall) in June's amateur draft, was 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA in nine appearances (five starts) since being promoted from rookie-level Elizabethton in early July. He had 41 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings with Beloit.

A real save: Florida Marlins pro scout Gene Watson and his fellow talent evaluators make all kinds of unheralded contributions. Wednesday, Watson made one that transcended the transactions.

Before a game at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, he was chatting in the press box with Rockies scout Terry Wetzel and Larry Corrigan, a Twins' special assistant to the general manager. As the trio exchanged opinions about players, Corrigan took ill, complaining of pain at the top of his stomach.

Watson and Wetzel rushed him to the stadium's first aid office.

Among the game's most respected scouts, Corrigan had an EKG, and an ambulance was summoned. Watson later learned Corrigan suffered a heart attack on his way to St. Luke's Hospital. Doctors have since told Watson and Wetzel that had they not taken him directly to the first aid station, Corrigan would not have survived.

Briefly: Rochester infielder Brent Abernathy has been playing, despite a bone spur on his heel. He likely would be first in line for a call-up if a position player suffers an injury on the big-league club.

Former Gophers All-America pitcher Glen Perkins has been inconsistent since being promoted to Class AA New Britain in June, primarily because of control problems. But the Stillwater native showed modest signs of improvement in Thursday's victory over Harrisburg, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. He did, however, throw 100 pitches and had a balk. The left-hander is 3-3 with a 4.97 ERA in 10 starts for the Rock Cats.