Nick Blackburn throws 7 strong innings, Span has 3 RBIs to lead Twins over Orioles 6-0

Blackburn, Span lead Twins to 6-0 win over Orioles

MINNEAPOLIS — Nick Blackburn threw seven strong innings, Denard Span had his third three-hit game of the month and the Minnesota Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-0 Sunday to earn a split of the four-game series.

Brendan Harris and Alexi Casilla — the bottom two hitters — twice started three-run innings for Minnesota.

Brian Matusz (2-3), who had four straight quality starts, allowed six earned runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings for Baltimore. He has lost three straight, getting one run of support in those games.

Joe Mauer was 1 for 3 as Minnesota’s designated hitter, his first start after missing eight games because of a deeply bruised left heel he sustained while running out a grounder April 30. Manager Ron Gardenhire expects Mauer to be back behind the plate Tuesday when the Twins open a two-game home series with the Chicago White Sox.

Blackburn (3-1), who pitched a complete game Tuesday, allowed just four hits. He moved the ball around the zone, getting 11 flyouts and 10 ground-ball outs. He induced a double-play in the second, the lone time Baltimore had a runner in scoring position in the first six innings. Garrett Atkins lined out to left field with runners on first and second to end the seventh.

Harris and Casilla singled off Matusz to start the third, before Span drove in both with a triple to the wall in right-center. It was just the third extra-base hit by a left-handed hitter against Matusz this year. New York’s Robinson Cano doubled and homered April 29.

Span, who had three hits May 1 at Cleveland and on Tuesday against Detroit, scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Punto.

With two outs in the fourth, Harris doubled, Casilla had an RBI double and scored on a Span single to make it 5-0. Span scored on a bloop single by Punto.

Jason Berken pitched 2 1-3 innings of scoreless relief for the Orioles, and picked Span off first in the sixth.

NOTES: Harris also had three hits. … Minnesota’s Justin Morneau struck out four times. … Baltimore is 2-18 when scoring fewer than four runs. The Orioles have been shutout three times. … Army Specialist Logan Hastings threw out the game’s first pitch to his father, Jeff, an Army captain. During a 16-month tour in Iraq, Logan and Gardenhire formed a friendship via e-mail. Father and son are expected to be deployed again later this year.