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.