Are you like RD, trying to figure out just how discouraged you should be following the opening game of the Detroit series? I mean, the guys showed up after a four-game thrashing of the Royals and there were visions -- which now seem like illusions -- of battling for something more than the wild-card spot.

RD did his fair share of fumin' tonight, pounding the dashboard of the RDmobile when Jason Bartlett lined into that double play in the seventh with the score 4-3 Detroit and, as Gordo put it: "...the Twins about the tie it up..."

That was before Jesse Crain opted for the wrong, wrong, WRONG time to do his little comedy routine in which he acts like a member of the Kansas City bullpen. It had to be that, right? He'd walked 11 batters all season in 53 1/3 innings ... and then ... tonight ... coming into a one-run game, he walks the first two batters he faces and a 4-3 lead becomes 8-3 on his watch.

Geezola, canola. Jesse! (Actually, RD may have dropped an effin' F-Bomb or two while watching that performance.)

Speaking of the F-Bomb, RD now needs to decide whether there's really a problem with Liriano's forearm, or whether he was the victim of a Detroit team that has an exuberantly intelligent approach to hitting the ball and learned something from its struggles against him a week ago Friday at the Dome. We all should have a better answer to that one after he pitches against the Jays on Saturday. RD and Sweet-n-Sassy will be sitting right behind home plate that night, so we'll know before most of you -- and we'll share.

(RD's late-night update: "$#!+")

How good is Detroit? Well, the Tigers have a better road record than home record and yet they've still won 18 of their last 21 games at Comerica Park. They're 40 games over .500, which means that if they lose as many as they win for the rest of the season, their record will be 101-61. And they've won 10 more games than any other team in the majors. And... and... and... and... and... and...

So here's the deal. Forget about the division race, OK? You'll save a lot of wear and tear of the parts of your brain that process baseball. Know that the Twins are in one incredible wild-card race and that, with trips to Boston and New York coming up, as well as six more against against the Tigers and nine against the Bitch Sox, it's gonna be a tough road to the postseason.

If the Twins somehow manage to win the wild card, it's going to be a memorable couple of months until whenever the end comes.

As Tim Gunn would say to the Twins right now, if he could take a break from the rule-breakers and cat-fighting on Project Runway, "Make it work."

Tuesday morning updates on Liriano:

From the Star Tribune.

From ESPN.com, via the Associated Press

From mlb.com.

From the Pioneer Press.

From the Detroit point of view:

And finally, a sweet story from Monday's New York Times.