Liriano-no hitter

After posting a godly 12-3 record and 2.16 ERA in 2006, the Minnesota Twins appeared to have found the perfect gem in Francisco Liriano to compliment their ace Johan Santana. However, Tommy John surgery during the offseason would cause him to miss the entire 2007 season. After logging back-to-back sub-par seasons in 2008-2009 following his procedure, the Liriano of old appeared to have somewhat revived his career by finishing his 2010 campaign four games over .500 and an ERA of 3.62 while setting a career high in strikeouts with 201. Hoping to continue his success on into the following year, he would instead encounter the exact opposite as a rocky start to his 2011 season would threaten his spot in the rotation.

Entering Tuesday's game in Chicago against the division rival White Sox, Liriano owned a dismal record of 1-4 with an ERA of 9.13 which became a cause for concern within the Twins organization. With his job on the line, Liriano stepped up and secured his spot in the rotation in the biggest and most surprising of ways by throwing a no-hitter. With little to no signs of life at the plate for either team, the match seemed to be on its way to a scoreless deadlock when finally Minnesota managed to get on the board. The games lone run came in the 4th inning when Jason Kubel hit his third home run of the season, giving Minnesota a 1-0 advantage. The one run would prove to be all the offense they needed as Liriano did the rest along with some stellar defense highlighted by outfielder Denard Span and third baseman Danny Valencia, both of whom robbed Chicago's Carlos Quentin of a hit, preserving the no-hit bid.

Prior to throwing the seventh no-hitter in Twins franchise history, Liriano had never thrown a complete game, let alone a shutout in his Major League career which started in 2006. And though he survived the game without surrendering any hits, Liriano was far from his best and was anything but perfect. Despite finishing the night with nine hit-less frames, Liriano walked 6 batters while striking out just 2. As for Minnesota, they'll take the win any way possible. The historic feat comes at a perfect time as the Twins who came into the season as AL Central favorites, currently own the worst record in the American League at a disappointing 10-18 after losing six straight. Much to blame for their recent struggles outside of the rotation of coarse, is the injuries to both Delmon Young and former AL MVP Joe Mauer. Two integral parts to their offense last season which led to a division title.

If Liriano can ride his no-hitter to create a bit of confidence, it would do wonders for the Twins who are currently 10 games behind the division leading Cleveland Indians. While the Twins hope to bounce back from their disappointing start to the season, it's only a matter of time before the Tribe begin to cool off. After all, they finished 2010 among the worst teams in the league -- 24 games below the .500 mark (69-93).

Noteworthy: Liriano became just the fifth pitcher in the last 30 years to throw a no-hitter that included more walks than strikeouts. Entering the game, his 9.13 ERA was the second-highest among pitchers in a minimum of three starts to go on and toss a no-hitter.