Although the offense didn’t pour in the runs as Coors Field is apt to allow, the Twins still won 4-2, snapping their 3 game losing streak. Nick Blackburn turned in a very solid start for his 4th win of the season and Joe Mauer, Adam Everett and Delmon Young were the offensive stars.
The Twins scattered their runs over several innings. Joe Mauer hit a RBI single to score Carlos Gomez in the 3rd. Delmon Young hit doubles in both the 4th and 6th, and would later score in both innings. He was driven home by a Mike Lamb single in the 4th and an Everett sacrifice fly in the 6th. The Twins added an insurance run in the 8th, when Everett hit another sac fly with the bases loaded. Justin Morneau chipped in as well with 2 hits. Blackburn even joined in, getting his 1st Major League hit.
Blackburn’s only trouble over the 7 innings he pitched was in the 4th, when he allowed an RBI triple to Clint Barmes and an RBI groundout to Ryan Spilborghs. After that he locked in, retiring 9 of the last 11 batters he faced. He fanned 5 Rockies and more impressively didn’t walk anyone. Juan Rincon and Dennys Reyes combined for a scoreless 8th and Joe Nathan stopped a rally in the 9th for his 13th save of the season.
The Twins are very happy to put the Toronto series behind them and get a win. They got the pitching they needed from Blackburn and the offense to back it up. Blackburn has not really had back-to-back solid starts as in his last one he gave up 4 runs even though he got the win. This effort in a big hitter’s park can only help his confidence going into his next start.
