The club has continually maintained that Liriano will only be brought back in a starter’s role. Given the collective, outstanding performance of the starting staff, that’s almost to say that, “We’re just waiting until someone gets hurt before Liriano gets another crack up here.”

But there are just too many factors at play to walk that simplistic of a line anymore. True, to say that Twins’ “deciders” are batting well with decisions in scoring position would be my understatement of the season. Really, almost everything that nascent GM Bill “I desperately need a cooler name” Smith has put his hand to has proven to be right, correct and just. Except this situation.

Liriano is now 7-2 with a 3.53 for AAA Rochester, with 86 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.16 -- all team-bests amongst starters. More importantly, he’s won four straight starts, having walked just 4 while striking out 27 in that span. In his last 3, he’s gone at least 6 innings in each start and given up 0 earned runs combined.

Reading between the lines of quotes from Gardy or pitching coach Rick Anderson, it seems readily apparent that they fear for the balance of Liriano’s still-young psyche should he be brought back up before they think it’s time, and again fail as he did earlier in the season. But my thoughts lean toward the inverse: it’s the continued time away that will damage Liriano. The more he’s separated from the level where he should be competing, the further and further away said promotion and opportunity will seem.

For a more professional analysis of such thought-process, I decided to call up Mr. Dave Austin, California-based performance coach who has earned deserved accolades for working with major leaguers Luke Scott of Baltimore and our own Scott Baker, the latter of which has be referenced herein back in April. While it should be directly noted that Mr. Austin does not claim Liriano as a client, he was kind enough to talk about the general mindset of a player in Liriano’s position:

“What I find, as per baseball call-ups and call-downs, players on their way up in A ball or AA, there’s an excitement,” Austin told me. “But when you get to AAA, it’s kind of like you’re in purgatory. No one belongs in AAA -- in their mindset. There are so many players that I work with that are on that cusp of the majors, and it’s tough. Players need to really rise up, and be focused just on what they need to do. They can’t get carried away with thinking, ‘What does this mean? What do they think of me?’ The minute those thoughts start interfering with the mindset, say for a position player, then how are they going to hit a 95-mph fastball?”

So what does Austin advise for success?

“I tell the players that it doesn’t matter where they are playing, it matters what they do. Too many players are, ‘Well, I’ll be happy when I get there.’ No, learn how to be happy here.”

But when can that psyche crack, and go south?

“It’s when players start worrying about the ‘What if’s?’ Worry is only good for one thing: more worry,” Austin concludes. “The doubt starts sinking in. A player thinks he’s done everything, but that he’s not being recognized for it. Then he starts losing the core belief system in himself. Then he starts falling apart.”

I won’t pretend to know where Liriano’s brain gels amongst these mindsets, but as per “falling apart,” well, the numbers married to such phrasing can presently to stitched onto the respective jersey’s of two guys taking a slot that should belong to “The Franchise.”

In short: Boof Bonser has tossed a total of 9.2 innings since June 11th, having given up 11 earned runs in that stretch. Brian Bass has seen action in 6 July games, although his ERA is a leviathan 12.71 in those outings, and truly, the journeyman has just one month with an ERA under 3 (June, 2.45).

Much, too much in fact, has and is and will be made about Liriano not being a reliever, about the Twins not needing another lefty in the pen, and about Bonser’s potential to be a fine pitcher some day. Above all else, Francisco Liriano isn’t a left-handed pitcher or a starting pitcher. He’s a baseball player. And he should be a Twin, wherever and however they fit him into the puzzle.

Sports fans, I’m looking at the standings today and seeing our upstart club just 1.5 games back of a questionable White Sox bunch. Now isn’t the time for potential or prudence, it’s time to throw all the chips on the table.

I had initially planned to pen today’s post on the July 31st trade deadline. But why crunch out a slew of unlikely scenarios, when the best guy we’re going to add is already in our hands?

UPDATE:
After construction of this post, it was reported by Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com that Liriano's agent, Greg Genske "contacted the players' association about pursuing a grievance, and the union agreed to investigate whether the Twins are violating the collective-bargaining agreement" by keeping Liriano in the minors.

"He's now dominating," Genske told Fox. "The team agrees he's dominating. (The union) has agreed that there is reasonable cause to open an investigation to see whether the Twins, by leaving him in the minors, are violating his rights in the Basic Agreement."

Genske added that Liriano is "extremely frustrated" about his situation. I guess we now have some additional insight into the mindset discussed above.

To read the Rosenthal piece, please click here.