Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano will make his first major league start today, the first steps on a path that could take him to the 2006 rotation. Liriano, who was called up on Sept. 2, has given up one solo homer in two relief outings. After beginning 2004 at Class A Fort Myers, Liriano, 21, has rocketed through the organization and now looms large in its offseason planning. Another hard-throwing left-hander, Johan Santana, warns that the road could be bumpy with a few delays. He knows from experience. "The one thing you have to have is patience," the reigning Cy Young Award winner said. "You just can't rush everything. I use myself as an example. The last couple of years have been great, but it took some time to get up to that point."