It appears that Francisco Liriano is back. After making the Sox look foolish last Thursday, hurling 7 innings of four hit ball and striking out 8, he worked 8 scoreless inning against the Indians tonight. In each of his starts he has allowed just 4 base hits, one extra-base hit per game, and no long balls. Liriano will probably never return to his 2006 form. He was almost unhittable as a starter that year, winning 12 games in a little over 3 months after being moved from the bullpen. In July he collected 55 strikeouts while going 4-1 for the second straight month. Had he not been injured in August that year, he could have won the Cy and almost definitely would have taken the Rookie of the Year. He even had the lowest ERA in the majors, though not quite enough innings to qualify.
Tommy John surgery and location problems resulted in a slow, bumpy road back to securing a rotation spot. His fastball has lost about 5 mph, and his slider no longer has the vicious movement and speed it once did. He has to rely more on off speed stuff and accuracy now.
He was a member of Mighty Like a Rose in 2008 and again in 2009, but was just a hindrance in the fantasy realm. This year, someone else scooped him up and I can only watch as he finally starts pitching how all the ESPN experts said he would in '08 and then again in '09.
Even though he's burned me thrice (I consider myself burned for a third time for passing on him in the draft this year) I still hope he becomes an ace.
