Nick Blackburn

The Twins took starting pitcher Nick Blackburn and infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka off the 40-man roster. Both players cleared waivers and were re-assigned to triple-A Rochester. Blackburn was 4-9 with a 7.39 ERA in 19 starts for the Twins this season. Blackburn is due $4.75 Million this season. Both players are unlikely to return to the major league team this season.

The Twins lost 6-4 in Boston to the Red Sox Sunday afternoon. Minnesota was going for the sweep in the 4-game series and settles for winning 3 of 4. Nick Blackburn allowed 9 hits and 4 earned runs in 5 innings to take the loss for Minnesota. Franklin Morales allowed 3 hits and 1 earned run in 6 innings to get the win for Boston. Ryan Doumit hit a 2-run homerun and Josh Willingham hit a solo homerun for the Twins. Ben Revere was 1-3 with 1 RBI to extend his hitting streak to 19 games.

The Twins lost 8-2 in Chicago to the White Sox Wednesday afternoon and were swept in the 3-game series. Chicago scored 2 runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings and cruised to the win. Denard Span was 2-4 with a run scored for the Twins.

The Twins defeated Baltimore 6-4 Tuesday night to win the first 2 games of the 4-game series. Minnesota broke the 4-all tie with 2 runs in the 7th inning. Ben Revere had the go-ahead RBI single in the 7th. Joe Mauer was 3-4 with 1 RBI and Ryan Doumit was 2-5 with 2 RBIs for the Twins.

The Twins lost 5-1 at Detroit Wednesday night after both teams endured a 2 hour and 26 minute rain delay. Justin Verlander threw all 9 innings with 4 hits and 1 earned run allowed with 7 strikeouts to get the win for the Tigers. Chris Parmelee homered to account for the lone Twins run and Denard Span was 2-4 for the Twins.

The Twins outscored the Phillies at Target Field 11-7 Tuesday in the first game of a 3-game series. Minnesota scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning to get off to a good start. Trevor Plouffe went 3-5 with a homerun, 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Plouffe has 10 homeruns this season. Josh Willingham and Denard Span each had solo homeruns, Ben Revere was 3-5 with 2 RBIs and Jamey Carroll went 3-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs for the Twins. Nick Blackburn threw 5 innings with 8 hits and 4 earned runs allowed to get the win and improves to 3-4.

The Twins reportedly agreed to a contract with 2nd overall pick Byron Buxton Monday. The 18-year old outfielder was selected in the first round (2nd overall) by the Twins in last Monday's baseball draft. Buxton is considered a 5-tool player right out of high school in Georgia. The new agreement with Buxton and the Twins is contingent on Buxton passing a physical today. Buxton is expected to report to rookie camp in Fort Myers, Florida.

The Twins downed Kansas City 4-2 Wednesday night to win the series 2 games to 1. Nick Blackburn came off the disabled list to threw 5 innings with 5 hits and 2 earned runs allowed to get the win and improve to 2-4 on the season. The Twins' bullpen threw 4 shutout innings with 2 hits allowed. Matt Capps threw a scoreless 9th inning to get the save for Minnesota. Justin Morneau was 2-4 with 2 RBIs and Ben Revere went 2-5 with 2 runs scored for the Twins.

The Twins outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 Friday night in a game that didn't start until almost 9pm. The two teams endoured a 1 hour and 51 minute rain delay. Darin Mastroianni had 2 hits and 3 RBIs playing in just his 2nd game as a Twin. Ryan Doumit had a 2-run single and Denard Span had 2 hits and 2 runs scored for Minnesota. Nick Blackburn allowed 5 earned runs in 5 innings to get the win and improve to 1-4. Matt Capps threw a scoreless 9th inning to get the save, his 6th.

The Twins lost 5-2 at Seattle Sunday afternoon to lose 2 out of 3 this weekend against the Mariners. Ryan Doumit hit 2 solo homeruns accounting for both Minnesota runs. Denard Span was 1-3 for the Twins. Nick Blackburn threw 6 innings with 7 hits and 5 earned runs allowed to take the loss and drop to 0-4. Hector Noesi threw 7 innings with 4 hits and 1 earned run allowed to get the win for Seattle.