FORT MYERS, Fla. — Francisco Liriano is confident his 2012 season will be more consistent than his last.
He gave signs Thursday he may be right.
The left-hander struck out five of the nine batters he faced in in three scoreless innings but the Minnesota Twins lost 1-0 loss to a Tampa Bay Rays split squad.
"Nothing's bothering me right now, so it's going to be quite different from last year," Liriano said.
Desmond Jennings was the only Rays player to get a hit off Liriano and the leadoff hitter had two of Tampa Bay's four hits.
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Last season was an up-and-down year for Liriano because of inconsistency and injury that was right in step with an up-and-down career.
The six-year veteran went 9-10 with a 5.09 ERA last season despite throwing a no-hitter on May 3 against the White Sox.
• Left-handed pitcher Glen Perkins has signed a three-year extension with the Twins.
The team said Thursday that the deal is worth a guaranteed $10.3 million through the 2015 season.
Perkins emerged as a reliable late-inning reliever last season, going 4-4 with a 2.48 earned-run average.
