Battling an injury that landed him on the DL on May 17, Minnesota Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn headed to Rochester recently to make a couple rehab starts. His first start with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate was on Tuesday and it did not go very well:
Blackburn, on the disabled list with a strained left quad, was tagged for four runs and four hits in 3 2/3 innings Tuesday, May 29, against the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. He also walked three batters.
Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire was concerned with Blackburn's results, especially his command, but was encouraged that Blackburn did not suffer any setbacks health-wise.
Blackburn is expected to make one more start with Rochester. If all goes according to plan, he will rejoin the Twins rotation after the outing for his next start.
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