Mauerfest last night prohibited me from addressing Francisco Liriano’s outing.

Liriano retired the first nine batters he faced. But he hit Ichiro to lead off the fourth inning. Liriano’s held out his hands in frustration - and his evening unraveled.

He gave up six hits over the next two innings - including a two-run homer to Mike Sweeney,

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Liriano stopped finishing off his pitches properly - instead of his hand staying on top of the ball his hand dropped to the side of the ball. That’s not the first time Liriano has had that problem.

As Liriano continues to develop, he has to learn how to stay consistent - and not let things get to him on the mound, like hitting a batter or not getting a strike called.

Speaking of strikes called, the pressbox consensus was that the strike zone was consistently inconsistent last night - for both teams.

Hawks-Canucks update

While we talked to Joe Mauer about how great he is, Justin Morneau switched on the television to watch the Western Conference semis between his Canucks and my Hawks. Vancouver led 2-1 at the time.

“Let’s go Canucks,” Morneau said as he made eye contact with me an pumped a fist.

By the time I got off deadline and got to a place to catch the game, the Hawks tied the game. Then Patrick Kane found Dave Bolland for a score and Martin Havlat scored an empty netter for their latest comeback win.

Chicago leads 3-2 and plays host to the Canucks on Monday for a chance to get to the conference finals.

You all know what that means.

When I see Morneau this morning, I’ll suggest to him that he might want to start working on a couple rough drafts…..

 No lineups yet I’m sure the manager is waiting to see how Mauer feels. Expect Nick Punto to start at short. And I’m guessing that Carlos Gomez will get a start.

Update:  Mauer is good to go at DH. Gomez is in the lineup. A caller asked Gardy on his Sunday radio show if it would be better for Gomez to play ever day in the minors. Gardenhire said Gomez offers enough in speed and defense to help the team win. And he really wants Gomez to work with hitting coach Joe Vavra.

Mauer’s Gold Gove award and Silver Slugger award are in the clubhouse - and teammates just couldn’t leave them alone. 

Someone produced a marker with eraseable ink, and several players signed the bat and added crazy comments. Then they placed a Sharpie next to the award to suggest that permanent ink was used. Mauer didn’t buy it, which bummed out everyone who wanted to get a reaction out of the normally quiet Mauer. 

Another update: Just heard that catching prospect Wilson Ramos will miss two weeks with a broken ring finger on his glove hand….

Linueps

Mariners (15-16)

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
2. Jose Lopez, 2B
3. Ken Griffey, Jr., DH
4. Adrian Beltre, 2B
5. Russell Branyan, 1B
6. Wladimir Balentien, LF
7. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
8. Rob Johnson, C
9. Endy Chavez, CF

Pitching: Erik Bedard

Twins (15-16)

1. Denard Span, LF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, DH
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Brendan Harris, 3B
7. Mike Redmond, C
8. Carlos Gomez, CF
9. Nick Punto, SS

Pitching: Nick BlackburnÂ

Update:  Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is feeling under the weather and even spent some time in the trainer’s room during the game. Will know more about his condition after the game.

 It’s always exciting to watch good pitching matchups, so tonight’s meeting between Francisco Liriano and Felix Hernandez should be a treat. Liriano was effective on Monday against the Tigers, pitching into the eighth inning. Let’s see if he can back that one up against a Seattle team that’s not exactly knocking the cover off the ball these days.

Hernandez had a 22-inning scoreless streak snapped by Texas in his last outing.

The Mariners have activated Brandon Morrow from the 15-day disabled list. To make room, Seattle placed former Twin Carlos Silva on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation. Silva was 1-3 with a 8.48 ERA in six starts. He’s 5-18 since signing with Seattle before the 2008 season.

Brendan Harris is at short tonight, wich is notable. Nick Punto, who’s in a slump, really struggles against lefties. With Erik Bedard on the mound tomorrow, will Punto get three straight days off?

Update: Gardenhire said that Punto will start tomorrow. Punto isn’t happy about hitting the ball in the air so much but said every time he tries not to do it, he does it. Maybe he’ll go to the plate thinking the opposite tomorrow.

Joe Crede took some grounders today and said he felt much better. He thinks that with Monday’s day off he’ll be ready to face the Tigers on Tuesday.

NOTE: There were four shutouts yesterday in the American League, tying the record for most shutouts in one day since the DH era began in 1973.

Lineups

Seattle (15-15)

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
2. Jose Lopez, 2B
3. Mike Sweeney, DH
4. Adrian Beltre, 3B
5. Wladimir Balentien, LF
6. Russell Branyan, 1B
7. Kenji Johjima, C
8. Franklin Gutierrez, CF
9. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS

Pitching: Felix Hernandez

Twins (14-16)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, DH
6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
7. Brian Buscher, 3B
8. Delmon Young, LF
9. Brendan Harris, SS

Pitching: Francisco Liriano

The Twins are fed up with two-game series. Hopefully, they are fed up with losing.

They made mistakes across the board this week in losing three of four games.

Tuesday: Three errors.  Michael Cuddyer dives for a ball, misses it and watches it become a triple. Alexi Casilla doesn’t throw home when he should.

Wednesday: Kevin Slowey got off to a slow start. Craig Breslow gave up a homer on his first pitch of the fourth. Nick Punto falls for the fake-throw-to-third-then-turn-to-first play. “Baseball 101.” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. But THEN Carlos Gomez tries to score instead of realizing that no one is at first and Nicky is going to be safe and gets tagged upside the head.

Thursday: Not a total disaster. The Twins hit some balls right at people. They actually were 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. But someone needed to come up with a key hit.

“You can’t wish runs in. We have to hit them in,” Gardenhire said.

Glen Perkins the homers to Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff were two pitches he’d like to have back. He said he tried back-to-back change ups on Mora. “I think he was looking for that second one,” Perkins said. He said he couldn’t get his slider over for strikes against Aubrey Huff, so Huff eliminated that pitch and hammered a sinker.

Perk did shake off the four runs he gave up and retired seven of nine hitters in the middle innings.

Jose Mijares needed to finish off hitters, especially when he had Montanez down 0-2 in the eighth. 

Let’s see, offense, defense, baserunning, starting pitching, relief pitching. That about covers every area of baseball this week.

Outfielder Michael Cuddyer was asked if they think about where they are at in the standings.

“You can’t get caught up in the standings in May,” he said. “You have to play better baseball, is what we have to do.”

Some numbers:

The Twins have tied the season high with a three-game losing streak.

They are homerless in five straight games.

They are 3-5-2 in series

They are 3-8 against the AL East

They are 0-3 on Thursdays

The tarp is on the field.

I’m not kidding.

This time, the radar shows only a small cell moving through the area. Everyone expects the game to be played. So the arks will stay locked up.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire did not back off his comments from last night that the game should have never started. The players feel the same way. But they are going to move forward and try to avoid a third straight loss.

Some minor league notes:

The biggest news is that righthander Shooter Hunt, the Twins first-round sandwich pick last year, has been demoted to the bullpen at Class A Beloit after posting a 10.43 ERA in five starts. He walked 29 batters in 14.2 innings.

“It’s a mental thing now,” Twins minor league director Jim Rantz said.

Carlos Gutierrez has been named Twins minor league pitcher of the month after going 0-1, 0.79 with a 0.65 WHIP.

Ramon Santiago Santana was named minor league player of the month after batting .393 with three homers and 10 RBI at Beloit.

Rene Leveret, the burly slugger at Class A Fort Myers, is out with a sore hamstring.

Rochester infielder Alejandro Machado has a swollen left knee.

Shortstop prospect Estarlin De Los Santos might have a stress fracture in one of this shins. He’s undergoing tests

Catcher Eli Tintor has been released. Alan De San Miguel will take his place at Class A Beloit.

Fort Myers infielder Yangervis Solarte is out for the season because of labrum surgery.

Outfielder Danny Ortiz, a fourth-round pick last year, might be done for the year because of meniscus problem.

Jason Pridie recently had a 16-game hitting streak at Rochester end. He must have been getting a hit a day because he entered today batting .255.

Finally, Joe Gaetti, son of G-Man, has been traded to the Rangers organization. For what? It could be a player, or, “it could be a dollar,” Rantz said. Sounds like one of those deals where an organization is in a jam for bodies. The Twins help the Rangers now, the Rangers help the Twins later - or give them a dollar.

Lineups

Twins (13-15)

1. Denard Span, CF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Jason Kubel, DH
6. Joe Crede, 3B
7. Michael Cuddyer, RF
8. Delmon Young, LF
9. Nick Punto, SS

Pitching: Glen Perkins

Baltimore (11-17)

1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Adam Jones, CF
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Melvin Mora, 3B
5. Aubrey Huff, DH
6. Ty Wigginton, 1B
7. Lou Montanez, LF
8. Gregg Zaun, C
9. Cesar Izturis, SS

Pitching: RHP Brad Bergesen

What a mess. Everything below are crazy thoughts typed over the course of four rain delays. 

I have no explaination why this game hasn’t been called yet.

We have just been told there will be a meeting between the umpires and grounds crew people at around 11:10.

More later…..I want to go home.

OLD PROGRAMMING 

Seriously, I looked at the radar a little while ago, walked over to Phil Miller of the PP and said, “It will start to rain in 12 minutes.”

Miller quickly looked at his watch to mark the time.

Well, the rain is coming down now.

“You’re within the margin for error,” Miller said. “I’ll give it to you - but you still owe me a Delmon Young homer.”

Yes, I did predict before the the game that Young would homer. So I need more baseball to be played. That’s not the only reason. Ken, the Star Tribune copy editor, is on my case about a first edition story.

He’ll get a story - but first, I’m going to read about Chelsea and Barcelona… 

The tarp is back on….glub, glub, glub. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian is sitting next to me, complaining about how he cut his grass yesterday and will have to cut it tomorrow because it grows so fast.

Thrilling stuff in the pressbox. What did you expect, a conversation to break out about isolated power?

 Get ready for a long night of this weather..

REGULAR PROGRAMMING 

 Joe Crede is undergoing tests to figure out what’s wrong with his stomach.

Update at 6:15: The tarp is coming off, It normally takes 30-35 minutes once the tarp is off to prepare the field and get the pitchers ready.

Alexi Casilla was sent to the minors moments after the Twins arrived at their Baltimore hotel. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire couldn’t stand the mistakes, especially the lack of hustle when Casilla didn’t hit.

When asked for the reports on Matt Tolbert, Gardenhire said: “They said he’s been busting his tail…but I already knew that.”

If Matt Tolbert fails, it won’t be because of a lack of effort. He’s in constant motion, constantly in the batting cages, always trying to figure out how to win. If he slumps at the plate, chances are that he’ll play even harder in the field.

After all, this is the guy who works on his swings while wearing nothing but a towel and would practice his baserunning in 7-Eleven parking lots during stops after minor league games. He had two hands on a bat while sitting in front of his clubhouse stall during the entire time we talked this afternoon. I call him Triple Espresso.

Gardenhire said Tolbert and Brendan Harris will split time at second base.

Here are the lineups, which should provide plenty of conversation as Gardenhire attacks lefthander Mark Hendrickson. He said Joe Mauer would get a day off in Baltimore, and today is the day. Gardenhire figures that he’ll mix in off days and DH days for Mauer for about a month, then use him like he did a year ago.

Update: Joe Crede has been scratched with an upset stomach. Brendan Harris moves to third. Update: Crede is being checked to make sure it’s not a virus. He’s going to the bathroom a lot, if you know what I mean.
 

Twins (13-14)

1. Denard Span, LF
2. Matt Tolbert, 2B
3. Brendan Harris, 3B
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF
6. Delmon Young, DH
7. Carlos Gomez, CF
8. Mike Redmond, C
9. Nick Punto, SS

Pitching: Kevin Slowey

Baltimore (10-17)

1. Brian Roberts, 2B
2. Adam Jones, CF
3. Nick Markakis, RF
4. Aubrey Huff, 1B
5. Melvin Mora, 3B
6. Luke Scott, DH
7. Gregg Zaun. C
8. Felix Pie, LF
9. Cesar Izturis, SS

Pitching: Mark Hendrickson