Lefty Francisco Liriano being skipped

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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins have decided to skip struggling left-hander Francisco Liriano's next turn and give him eight days to refocus before he starts again.

Liriano

Manager Ron Gardenhire said Monday he had a long talk with Liriano, who emerged "really confident" in the plan.

Gardenhire says he doesn't want to make Liriano a reliever, even temporarily. So he'll throw bullpen sessions Thursday and Saturday and return to the rotation May 1 when the Twins visit the Los Angeles Angels.

Liriano is 0-3 with an 11.02 ERA in four starts after his latest collapse Sunday. Opponents are hitting .368 against him, and he has walked 13 batters in 16 1/3 innings.

The Twins also scratched second baseman Alexi Casilla from the lineup Monday night against Boston because of an illness.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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