After going 5-0 with a solid 2.65 ERA in the month of May, it looked as if starter Nick Blackburn was well on his way to a good third season with the Minnesota Twins. With the change of month however, Blackburn hit a bump in the road.

Since May, Blackburn has gone 1-6 with a dismal 9.88 ERA. In that span he has allowed 70 hits and 45 runs in just 41 innings of work.

His performance still has him on the roster, but he’ll now be headed for a new role. Lefty Brian Duensing has been added to the rotation, and Blackburn is headed to the ’pen.

With the Twins looking for their pitching staff to step up in the second half, they’ll hope for a strong run from Duensing, just as he provided last season when he went 5-1 with a 3.15 ERA after being inserted into the rotation at the end of August.