The Minnesota Twins moved struggling right-hander Nick Blackburn into the bullpen, and left-hander Brian Duensing will take his place in the rotation.
Acting manager Scott Ullger made the announcement before Wednesday afternoon's game against Cleveland. Manager Ron Gardenhire was not at the ballpark, tending to a family matter.
Ullger insisted the move is temporary, to give Blackburn a mental break. Duensing will start Friday at Baltimore.
"It's not a permanent thing. It's just to give Blackie a chance to take a step back, take a deep breath and regroup a little bit," Ullger said.
Asked about a timeframe for the switch, Ullger was vague.
"Things have a way of working themselves out," he said.
The Twins won eight of Blackburn's first nine starts, and he was 5-0 with a 2.65 ERA in May. In the nine starts since, he's 1-6 with a 9.88 ERA and 11 home runs allowed. So the move did not come as a surprise.
"I don't know how much longer they're going to keep putting up with this stuff," Blackburn said after his last appearance.
Duensing has a 1.67 ERA in 43 innings, all in relief. He made nine starts last season, but most of his appearances this year have been brief, late-game assignments. He pitched four innings Sunday to stretch out his arm, a sign the Twins were preparing to move him.
Blackburn hasn't been the only problem in the rotation. Right-handers Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey have been struggling, too. The Twins have not yet confirmed a starter for Sunday's game, which would be Slowey's turn.
Ullger, the team's third base coach, said he wasn't sure if Gardenhire would travel with the team for the four-game series against the Orioles starting Thursday night.
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