MINNEAPOLIS -- If nothing else, Francisco Liriano's recent resurgence appears to have teams curious as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline looms.
The Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals were among teams in attendance at Target Field scouting the Minnesota Twins in Monday night's win over the White Sox -- a win in which Liriano allowed only one run in seven innings, marking his longest outing since Aug. 20 of last season.
Atlanta, which entered Tuesday 3.5 games behind Washington in the National League East, was said to be paying close attention to Liriano, and it's presumed the Nationals were paying close attention to Denard Span and possibly others.
The Twins and Nationals discussed a possible Span trade prior to last year's deadline, and the Braves are among several teams potentially looking to add pitching.
Span entered Tuesday hitting .278/.343/.389 with three home runs, 19 doubles and seven stolen bases. He is under contract for $3 million this year, $4.75 million in 2013 and $6.5 million in 2014, plus a $9 million team option for 2015.
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Notebook_Teams_scouting_Francisco_Liriano_Carl_Pavano_not_close062612
