Twins Take Series

The Twins rebounded from last night's disaster to put together a nice 6-1 win.

Three Stars:
Glen Perkins - 7.2 IP, 7 H, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR. These are the types of games the Twins need from their starters. Of the 3 most often mentioned - Perkins, Bonser and Slowey - to be losing their spot when Baker returns, only Bonser had a (very) bad start. Perkins also has an advantage in that he is the only LHP in the rotation.
Jason Kubel - 2 for 3, HR (Grand Slam), BB, R, 4 RBI. Kubel came up with the bases loaded in a 1-1 game and blew it open with a grand slam. He hasn't had a great year to this point, but hopefully this can be the beginning of a turn-around.
Mike Lamb - 3 for 4, 2B. Lamb has quietly seen his average grow to .246. That is 64 points better than a month ago and Lamb was also 5 for 7 over the weekend. I believe that when the infield is competely healthy, Lamb will only be getting starts vs. RHP.

So coming into an off day on Memorial Day, the Twins are 25-25.

An interesting bit about Francisco Liriano, who has been pitching well for the Rochester Red Wings. When a player hits 6 years of major league service time, he can become a free agent. When a player hits 3 -- actually a little less than 3, but I won't get into that -- he enters his arbitration years. For those who enter arbitration before their 3 years (Super Two's), they go through 4 years of arbitration.
Coming into this season, Liriano had 2 years and 31 days of service. If he serves 141 days on the Major League Roster, he would have 3 years of service at the end of the year, enter arbitration, and be 3 years away from free agency. Most of us believed that he would easily reach that.
Well, after Liriano's unsucessful stint with the Twins, he was sent back down. He put in 13 days of service. That leaves him 128 days short of 3 years. (Note: The numbers aren't official, so I may be off a couple.) Starting at the end of the season, which I believe is considered September 30, and counting back 128 days we end on Monday, May 26. If my math is on, it appears that Liriano's free agency has been delayed by a season. He will still hit arbitration at the end of the season, but still stands to lose millions. Tough break, 'Cisco.