Lefthander Francisco Liriano will make his spring training debut on Friday at Boston. It will  be the first time Liriano will face an opponent since September of 2006.

Liriano threw batting practice on Tuesday and said this morning that he felt great. It’s unclear what his pitch limit will be on Friday.

The Twins are trying to smooth out Liriano’s delivery to reduce the risk of him re-injuring his left elbow. Their focus has been on his follow-through. Liriano used to spin out of his delivery so much that he would be facing third base or, as Ron Gardenhire said, “his (rear end) would face home plate.”  They’ve asked him to eliminate that in exchange for something more controlled.

It’s also unclear if there’s enough time for him to build up enough stamina to begin the season in the starting rotation. But if there are no setbacks and he regains his command he’ll be close. Very close.

Joe C. and Reusse are on their way to Tampa to cover the game. I’m back in Fort Myers, monitoring the temperature at Hammond Stadium.

Here’s the Twins’ lineup for their game against the Evil Empire.

1. Gomez, CF.2. Harris, 2B. 3. Mauer, C. 4. Morneau, 1B. 5. Young, LF. 6. Buscher, 3B. 7. Knott, DH. 8. Jones, RF. 9. Tolbert, SS. Pitching: Slowey, with Kiesler, Barrett, DePaula, Reyes, Neshek, Bass, Sosa.

First pitch 12:15 central, on ESPN.

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