one run in yet another strong outing. Between those strong flashes of brilliance though, he logged several sub-par showings, frequently giving up several runs during short times on the mound. 2010 During the 2009 offseason, Liriano returned to his native Dominican Republic to play winter baseball, playing for Leones del Escogido. He helped his club earn a postseason berth and then went 3–1 with a 0.49 ERA in seven playoff starts, while recording 47 strikeouts and five walks in 37 innings, as Leones del Escogido won the league championship. Liriano reported to spring training lighter than usual, and Twins coaches expressed guarded optimism that he had regained some of his 2006 form. The Twins considered using him as a closer to replace the injured Joe Nathan, but instead he was named to the starting rotation. Liriano got off to a fast start in 2010. In his first four starts for the Twins, he posted a 3–0 record with an 0.93 ERA and 27 strikeouts. On May 3, he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for April. Through May 18, he had posted a 4–2 record and a 2.63 ERA in seven starts, striking out 46 in 48 innings and not giving up a single home run. Liriano struggled from mid-May until the All-Star break, losing five of seven decisions. But after the break, he returned to his early season form. Over an eleven start stretch from July 16 (his first game after the All-Star break) to September 14, Liriano posted an 8–0 record to go along with a 2.41 ERA. Across this span, he limited hitters to a .227 batting average, struck out 72 in 71 innings against 25 walks, and gave up only two home runs. Liriano struggled in his final three starts of the season, however, losing all three outings and posting an ERA of 8.10. Liriano finished 2010 fifth in the AL in strikeouts with 201, while walking 58. He posted a 14–10 record for the year with a 3.62 ERA and a career-high innings pitched across 31 starts, 20 of which were quality. He was considered a Cy Young candidate by some writers, as his 2.66 FIP (a defense independent pitching statistic) was second only to Cliff Lee in the American League, and his 2.95 xFIP was first in the American League. Despite his ERA only ranking 14th in the league, Liriano posted