Francisco Liriano says he feels good after rehab start with Mud Hens

Francisco Liriano delivers a pitch against the Louisville Bats Sunday, July 17 while making a rehab start for the Toledo Mud Hens.

Blade/Jetta Fraser

Francisco Liriano hasn’t pitched in a while, so during his rehab start with the Toledo Mud Hens on Sunday, he was focused on how his body felt.

Liriano, a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, threw four innings and gave up eight earned runs in the Mud Hens’ 8-3 loss to the Louisville Bats. 

On May 30, Liriano was placed on the 10-day disabled list because of a right hamstring strain. Aside from giving up 11 hits and two home runs, Liriano said he felt good after his start.

VIDEO: Franciso Liriano pitches to Louisville’s Chadwick Tromp during Sunday’s rehab start

“Body feels great, my leg feels good, so that’s the main thing I was worried about,” Liriano said.

Francisco Liriano delivers a pitch against the Louisville Bats Sunday, July 17 while making a rehab start for the Toledo Mud Hens.

Liriano threw 83 pitches, including 56 strikes, during his four innings of work, and had seven strikeouts. Liriano hit two batters and gave up seven hits in the second inning, when the Bats scored 6 runs.

Liriano went through a simulated game last Tuesday where he threw 60 pitches, but the rehab start marked his first game since May 26. Before going on the DL, Liriano had 10 starts and a 3.90 ERA in Detroit. Liriano has given up 25 earned runs and has 45 strikeouts this season, which ranks him fourth on the Tigers’ pitching staff. 

“Haven’t thrown in a long time, just feels a little weird,” Liriano said of his rehab start.

Mud Hens manager Doug Mientkiewicz said he thought Liriano did fine, especially for not seeing batters for awhile. 

“I would probably think he would say his location wasn’t great, but that’s expected,” Mientkiewicz said. “But he made it through. You know that’s a lot to do when you haven’t been out there for awhile.”

Liriano said he does not know if the Tigers will have him throw another rehab start before returning to the team.

“I’ll have to talk them, you know they gotta make a decision,” Liriano said. “So if I got another start or if I’m going to join the team next couple of weeks, but I haven’t talked to them at all, so we’ll see. We’ll see tomorrow.”

Contact Cameron Fields at cfields@theblade.com or on Twitter @CameronFields_