Francisco Liriano dominates in rehab start

I'm sure WTM will cover this in the minor-league recap tonight, but Francisco Liriano's performance for Indianapolis this morning (yes, a morning game) deserves a special mention here.

Liriano pitched six innings, throwing 60 of his 82 pitches for strikes. He struck out nine batters, walked none, and allowed no runs. One shouldn't overreact to numbers posted in rehab starts -- these numbers don't mean Liriano is going to be similarly dominant in the majors. But it certainly looks like he's as ready as he's ever going to be.

I expect Liriano to take someone's roster spot here in a few days, whether that's Jonathan Sanchez or whoever Sanchez's temporary bullpen replacement will be. (As I've mentioned, I don't see the justification in keeping Sanchez around even one more day.) Jeanmar Gomez is scheduled to pitch Wednesday. Obviously, Liriano won't take that start, but that's the rotation spot he'll likely eventually occupy.