Article: Twins Outright Blackburn, Nishioka

[Parker Hageman]

Download attachment: Blackburn.jpg Twins announce that they will outright Nick Blackburn and Tsuyoshi Nishioka off the 40-man roster.

 

Since being recalled from Rochester, Blackburn had made six starts only to compile a 0-4 record with an pear-shaped 6.11 ERA while opponents hit .351/.367/.576. The Twins, who had beat the drums that there would be no more "scholarships" for their players, reacted swiftly to Blackburn's struggles and recent quotes which seems to irk the front office.

 

Clearly the Twins were not sold on Blackburn's ability to bounce back. As assistant GM Rob Antony told reporters on Saturday in Seattle:

 

"We're going to try to figure out what the right thing is to try and get this guy back on track," said Rob Antony, Twins assistant general manager, on Saturday. "He had some concerning statements. 'I'm not sure what to do' -- when big-leaguers have thoughts like that, then you know their confidence is struggling."

Nishioka, meanwhile, had been hitting .252/.311/.313 in the International League and was completely overmatched in his short stint with the Twins this year.

 

The move leaves the team with 38 players on their 40-man roster.

 

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