Rochester 7, Tides 4

Staff, wire reports

Francisco Liriano allowed just one run in eight strong innings Thursday night, pitching the Rochester Red Wings to a 7-4 win over the Norfolk Tides in Rochester, N.Y.

Liriano (8-2) struck out eight without walking a batter, lowering his ERA to 3.34.

Liriano's agent, Greg Genske, has asked the major league players' union to investigate why Liriano remains in Triple-A despite going 8-0 in his past nine starts.

"I think that Francisco is dominating down there," Genske said Thursday. "The club concedes that as well. We're a little frustrated he hasn't been called up."

Genske said the delay has had an adverse effect on Liriano's service time, which determines when he is eligible for arbitration. After three years in the big leagues, a player qualifies for arbitration. Liriano has two years and 45 days.

Minnesota Twins general manager Bill Smith said the decision to keep Liriano, who was selected to the AL All-Star team during his brilliant rookie season in 2006, in the minors has nothing to do with service time.

Omir Santos was 3 for 3 with a double and a run scored for the Tides. Mike McCoy added a three-run double with two outs in the ninth inning, but Bobby Korecky retired Tike Redman to earn the save and give the Red Wings the win.

Hayden Penn (4-5) took the loss for Norfolk, as he yielded six runs on six hits in four innings. Penn walked two and struck out one.

The teams meet again at 7:05 tonight.