--RHP Nick Blackburn gave up three runs in 6 2/3 innings of work Sunday, good for his second straight promising start, but even those results weren't enough -- Blackburn ended up with his 10th loss of the season. "We pitched great. Blackie threw the ball as good as you can throw the ball. Unfortunately we couldn't do anything offensively," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We ended up with three hits and not a lot of chances." --LHP Francisco Liriano (dead arm) had another successful bullpen session on Sunday in Cleveland and is on track to pitch in a simulated game Tuesday in Toronto. If that goes well, pitching coach Rick Anderson said, the Twins are likely to activate Liriano from the disabled list on Thursday and put him in the bullpen for the remainder of the season. BY THE NUMBERS: 36 -- RHP Joe Nathan recorded his 36th save of the season on Saturday in Cleveland. It marks the sixth straight season that Nathan has had at least 36 saves. He is the second pitcher in major league history to accomplish the feat, joining Trevor Hoffman, who had 36-or-more saves in seven straight seasons.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I messed up a pretty well-pitched ballgame. I'm not a machine. I think I go through this every season where I have a week or so where it's not as easy as it is other times. This game, it's not easy. It's a game that you have to keep working at, you have to keep making adjustments." -- RHP Joe Nathan, on giving up two runs and blowing his fifth save in 40 chances this season in a 4-2 loss to the White Sox last week
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