Liriano allows home run in debut

BY JASON WILLIAMS
Pioneer Press

Francisco Liriano received two warm welcomes to the majors.

Then, the Twins' hot pitching prospect received a rude one.

Texas' Gary Matthews Jr. crushed the fifth pitch in Liriano's much-anticipated debut 438 feet into the seats in left field in the ninth inning of the Twins' 7-0 loss Monday at the Metrodome.

"I felt fine after that," said Liriano, who coincidentally made his debut against the team the Twins refused to trade him to this season.

Indeed, it was Liriano's show the rest of the way. The powerful left-hander retired the next three batters, striking out Gerald Laird and David Dellucci, and getting Michael Young to ground to third. In one inning of work, Liriano threw 17 pitches, 10 for strikes, and mixed in a nasty slider with a live fastball. He reached 96 mph on the stadium radar. The 3-1 fastball Liriano threw to Matthews registered at 94 mph.

Liriano received pats on the back from first baseman Justin Morneau and second baseman Nick Punto as they walked off the field. Manager Ron Gardenhire greeted the 21-year-old Liriano at the dugout steps by saying, "Oh, my!"

"I was really impressed with him," pitching coach Rick Anderson said. "He came right back and didn't get rattled. It's going to be fun to watch him progress."

Liriano, who was called up from Class AAA Rochester on Friday, received two ovations from the crowd of 15,627. The fans cheered for him as he jogged in from the bullpen to start the ninth. He received a louder ovation after public address announcer Bob Kurtz bellowed, "Now pitching for the Twins, Francisco Liriano!"

"I was really happy about (the cheers), but they made me real nervous," the quiet Liriano said. "I still am."

Briefly: Gardenhire said the Twins will call up four players from Rochester today: reliever Travis Bowyer, catcher Chris Heintz, and infielders Luis Rodriguez and Luis Rivas. Bowyer's first appearance will be his major league debut. The right-hander set a Rochester season record with 23 saves. Heintz's first appearance also will be his big-league debut. The Twins will have to make room on the 40-man roster for Heintz, 31, who batted .304 with Rochester.

Carlos Silva, the Twins' starter Monday, allowed his first walk since his Aug. 8 outing against Seattle. It was only the ninth walk he has allowed this season, keeping Silva (0.43) on pace to break Cy Young's 1904 American League record (0.69) for fewest walks per nine innings.

Gardenhire said he will undergo stress tests on his heart today. The evaluation stems from a team doctor's request that he be evaluated after leaving the Aug. 25 game because he felt flushed and dizzy.

Michael Cuddyer (bruised ribs) was out of the lineup for the third straight game. He did not take batting practice, and the third baseman might not return until this weekend's series at Cleveland.