"Just when you're ready to give up on Francisco Liriano, he pulls you back in.

His 2011 season has been one of highs and lows, and if it's been mostly lows, the highs have been pretty spectacular. And the Twins left-hander believes he might be turning the corner after starting spring training with a shoulder problem that set him back more than anyone realized.

His nine-strikeout, one-walk performance in a 2-1 victory over 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night reminded everyone how good Liriano can be, and that his no-hitter May 3 at Chicago was not a last hurrah for a pitcher who has spent the past few years trying to recapture the brief magic of his rookie season.

Since then, he's been good (14-10, 3.62 earned-run average last season) and occasionally ugly (5-13, 5.80 ERA in 2009). But Tuesday's victory, coupled with the no-hitter, indicate Liriano, 27, is far from done. The win against one of the major leagues' best pitchers snapped the Twins' nine-game losing streak.

"We had to have a performance like that," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "With who he was matched up against, you had to have it; that guy is not going to give up anything. And (Liriano) stepped up and did it."

It was the kind of performance the Twins will need much more of if they're to rebound from their worst start since 1995 and defend their 2009 and 2010 Central Division crowns. They signed Liriano to a one-year, "