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Liriano makes White Sox debut in Minnesota

Jul 31, 2012 - 2:38 PM (Sports Network) - Three days after being traded from Minnesota to Chicago, left-hander Francisco Liriano makes his first White Sox start against his old team when the Twins host game two of the three-game series at Target Field.

The 28-year-old Dominican, a 14-game winner for the Twins as recently as 2010, was dealt on Saturday in exchange for Eduardo Escobar and Pedro Hernandez.

He's making $5.5 million this season and is eligible to become a free agent at the end of 2012.

The White Sox made the deal to bolster a starting staff that's helped them maintain first place in the American League Central Division, where they lead the Detroit Tigers by 1 1/2 games in spite of a two-game losing streak.

Detroit lost, 7-3, at Boston on Monday.

Ironically, Liriano's last start with Minnesota was against Chicago, which chased him following 2 2/3 innings after he allowed seven hits and seven runs.

He's not won since July 6 at Texas, where he allowed a run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.

In Monday's opener, Jamey Carroll's sacrifice fly in the ninth inning lifted the Twins to a 7-6 win.

With Brett Myers (0-1) on the mound, Danny Valencia led off the inning with a single and Brian Dozier followed with a sac bunt.

On the play, Dozier's bunt went down the first base line and catcher A.J. Pierzynski fielded it, but his quick throw to first went high and Minnesota wound up with runners on second and third with no outs.

Carroll followed with a fly ball to right that was fielded cleanly, but Alexi Casilla, who came on to run for Valencia, easily beat the throw home for the win.

Ryan Doumit and Valencia each drove in two runs for the Twins, who have won four straight. Cole De Vries pitched five innings and gave up five runs - four earned - on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts while Glen Perkins (2-1) got the win pitching a scoreless ninth.

"To be able to rally for this late win is big for us," Carroll said. "We have some good guys in this clubhouse and we're really starting to feel good together now."

Pierzynski, who had missed the previous five games due to a mild oblique strain in his right side, hit a three-run home run while Alejandro De Aza was 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored for the White Sox.

Jose Quintana was charged with six runs - four earned - on 10 hits over seven innings.

"He got better in the game as it went on," Pierzynski said. "He was missing his spots early and they hit him, but he settled down after that and gave us seven solid innings."

Minnesota sends righty Nick Blackburn to the mound with a chance for his 10th career win against the White Sox.

The 30-year-old Oklahoma native fell to 9-8 in 20 appearances against them on July 25, when he allowed eight runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings of an 8-2 loss.

In 116 1/3 overall innings against Chicago, he's posted a 4.64 earned run average and allowed a .300 opposition batting average.

Blackburn is 2-3 in seven home starts this season.

The White Sox won seven of the first nine games between the teams in 2012, including the last five in a row. They swept a three-game series in Chicago from July 23-25.

Minnesota last won the season series in 2010.