The Oakland Athletics were swinging and missing, and Francisco Liriano kept on firing those fastballs, sliders and changeups in the strike zone that has eluded him so often this year and last. For one afternoon, the Minnesota Twins enjoyed that All-Star-like pitching performance they've been longing for. Liriano's return to the rotation was a rousing success, with six shutout innings by the vexing left-hander Wednesday to lead the Twins to a 4-0 victory over the Athletics, their eighth straight loss.
