Looking to take their fifth consecutive series, Minnesota Twins will play host to a skidding Philadelphia team on Tuesday in yet another three-game Interleague set at Target Field.
The Phillies enter with losses in eight of their past nine games, and have dropped all the way to fifth place in the NL East and 29-33 on the year due to the cold streak. After a pair of extra-inning losses to Baltimore over the weekend with Cliff Lee and Vance Worley on the mound, Philadelphia will be forced to send 2-5 starter Kyle Kendrick to the hill to take on a Minnesota lineup that has racked up a bevy of runs as of late.
Sporting an extremely high 7.75 ERA for the year, 6-foot-4 right-hander Nick Blackburn will get the ball for the Twins. Blackburn will face a Philadelphia lineup predicated on speed with Jimmy Rollins and Juan Pierre in the 1-2 spots, as 41-year-old future Hall of Famer Jim Thome will bat cleanup for the third consecutive game.
Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday's vital series opener:
Twins
1. Denard Span - CF
2. Ben Revere - RF
3. Joe Mauer - C
4. Josh Willingham - LF
5. Justin Morneau - 1B
6. Ryan Doumit - DH
7. Trevor Plouffe - 3B
8. Brian Dozier - SS
9. Jamey Carroll - 2B
Nick Blackburn - SP
Phillies
1. Jimmy Rollins - SS
2. Juan Pierre - LF
3. Hunter Pence - RF
4. Jim Thome - DH
5. Shane Victorino - CF
6. Ty Wigginton - 1B
7. Carlos Ruiz - C
8. Mike Fontenot - 3B
9. Michael Martinez - 2B
Kyle Kendrick - SP
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