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Drabek takes the hill against Twins

Apr 2, 2011 - 2:33 PM (Sports Network) - Prized prospect Kyle Drabek makes his initial April start with the Toronto Blue Jays today when they host the Minnesota Twins in the second of three season-opening games at Rogers Centre.

Drabek, the son of former National League Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, was a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies - 18th overall - in the 2006 draft.

He was traded to Toronto in the four-player deal that sent ace right-hander Roy Halladay to the Phillies on Dec. 16, 2009.

Now 23, Drabek made the first three appearances of his big-league career for the Blue Jays last September, dropping all three decisions while allowing 18 hits an nine runs in 17 innings with 12 strikeouts.

He'll be opposed by Minnesota southpaw Francisco Liriano, who won 14 games in 31 starts last season. The 27-year-old Dominican was 12-3 in his first full season in 2006. but injuries limited him to just 11 wins in 2008-09 before re- emerging last season.

Liriano has averaged more than a strikeout per inning in the majors, getting 567 Ks in 549 innings over 108 appearances - 89 starts.

He's winless in three career meetings with the Blue Jays, going 0-2 with a 4.05 earned run average in 13 1/3 innings.

On Friday, J.P. Arencibia finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and five RBI as Toronto rolled to a 13-3 win. Jose Bautista was 3-for-4 with a solo homer and scored three times for the Blue Jays, who are looking to improve upon last year's 85-77 record in a competitive AL East.

Adam Lind added two hits, including a homer, and drove in three as Ricky Romero (1-0) allowed one earned run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, and struck out seven.

Denard Span and Alexi Casilla knocked in a run apiece for the Twins, the two- time defending AL Central champs.

Carl Pavano (0-1) was torched for six hits and eight runs - seven earned - over four-plus frames.

Toronto was 6-3 against the Twins last season and is 18-6 in the series since the start of the 2008 campaign. However, four of Minnesota's six wins in that time have come north of the border.