Nick Blackburn (not Kevin Slowey, as I mistakenly said would start Thursday) pitches the first complete game of the season for the Twins, narrowly missing out on a shutout but still pitching well enough to pick up his sixth win of the season. Blackburn has been pitching like the defacto ace of the staff that he has become, and he came through for the Twins to beat the Pirates and avoid what would have been an embarrasing series loss to a terrible team. Michael Cuddyer and Brian Buscher hit home runs for the Twins, as they beat their ace Zach Duke. Once again Ron Gardenhire sat the hottest hitter on the planet, Joe Mauer, and he shifted his lineup once again. Since putting Brendan Harris in the lead-off spot, the Twins have been pretty successful and Harris has definitely responded by hitting well. So Gardenhire does the old "if it's working, we might as well change it" theory that he lives his life by, and dropped Harris to the 2 hole and placed Carlos ".282 on base percentage" Gomez in the lead-off position. Harris had three more hits from the 2 hole, and because Gomez put forth an oh-fer, Harris basically was the catalyst for the Twins. He had the only hit with runners in scoring position on the day for the Twins, as they went a pitiful 1-for-11 in that category. It's becoming an increasingly evident problem for the Twins, hitting with runners on base. We all know that last season's success in that capacity was a fluke, but this season it is getting pretty ridiculous, especially when their run producers like Justin Morneau consistently struggle in those situations.The Twins now move on to another second-division opponent in the Houston Astros. They will have to face Roy Oswalt on Friday night, and though Oswalt's numbers are significantly down this year as opposed to years' past, Kevin Slowey will have to answer the challenge to notch his t
enth win of the season. Like the Pirates, the Astros have decent pitching but their offense struggles to score runs for them. Aside from Carlos Lee, the Astros are pretty thin in the run-scoring department. Twins fans will also welcome the return of former great LaTroy Hawkins, who is now closing games for Cecil Cooper's 'Stros. Many will remember Hawkins' infamous stretch as closer for Tom Kelly in 2001; the first half of the season went aces for The Hawk, and the second half of the season was an absolute disaster, and he ended up losing the closer job near the end of the season. He did end up finding a niche as a set-up guy with Ron Gardenhire in 2002 and 2003, providing lights-out relief for those two seasons, easily his best in the bigs. Since then he's bounced around from team to team, and according to the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters, the Twins may have some interest in acquiring Hawkins, who figures to be available come the trading deadline. Knowing the Twins, they'd rather look from within to try to patch the sinking ship that is the bullpen, and even if Hawkins is available and wants to come back to the Twins, Bill Smith is likely too scared to make any trades, since the two trades that he has made have been spectacularly pathetic.
enth win of the season. Like the Pirates, the Astros have decent pitching but their offense struggles to score runs for them. Aside from Carlos Lee, the Astros are pretty thin in the run-scoring department. Twins fans will also welcome the return of former great LaTroy Hawkins, who is now closing games for Cecil Cooper's 'Stros. Many will remember Hawkins' infamous stretch as closer for Tom Kelly in 2001; the first half of the season went aces for The Hawk, and the second half of the season was an absolute disaster, and he ended up losing the closer job near the end of the season. He did end up finding a niche as a set-up guy with Ron Gardenhire in 2002 and 2003, providing lights-out relief for those two seasons, easily his best in the bigs. Since then he's bounced around from team to team, and according to the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters, the Twins may have some interest in acquiring Hawkins, who figures to be available come the trading deadline. Knowing the Twins, they'd rather look from within to try to patch the sinking ship that is the bullpen, and even if Hawkins is available and wants to come back to the Twins, Bill Smith is likely too scared to make any trades, since the two trades that he has made have been spectacularly pathetic. 
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