The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Francisco Liriano will return to the team on Sunday to start the last game before the All-Star break against the Cincinnati Reds. Liriano threw six shutout innings on Monday down in AAA. He last started for the Pirates on June 10th, giving up two runs over three innings before leaving the game with an oblique injury.
This season, he has a 4.60 ERA in 72.1 innings over 14 starts. Liriano has 77 strikeouts and a 1.45 WHIP. He has a misleading 1-6 record this year, as the Pirates are 7-7 in his starts, though he obviously hasn’t pitched as well as last year.
With Liriano returning, Vance Worley will head on down to the bullpen. He has made five starts for the Pirates, posting a 3.03 ERA, with a 1.07 WHIP and a 5/21 BB/SO ratio in 32.2 innings.