I was able to watch his game against the Brewers and noticed something: his good starts are effortless. He didn't strike out a ton of batters (two). In fact, he was underwhelming in the strikeout department. But his fantasy owners shouldn't be expecting that at this point. Blackburn and Twins' manager Ron Gardenhire have said repeatedly that this is a classic "pitch to contact" starter.
Looking to my last Blackburn post (Nick Blackburn is Actually Good) there may be an interesting trend starting up:
First, Blackburn pitched his second consecutive complete game. Yes, it was in loss. But Blackburn has pitched a combined 25 innings in his last three starts. For every fantasy "expert" who claims this guy should be dealt really needs to check themselves. Listening to the Twins' announce team tonight, every member stated not only that Blackburn's record hasn't truly reflected how good he is... but he's pitched BETTER than staff "ace" Kevin Slowey.
Second, Blackburn's defense let him down BIG TIME tonight. Joe Mauer's off-target throw into left field (over Joe Crede's head) cost the Twins and Blackburn the win tonight. I know, I know... I praised the Twins defense in my last post... but I think that's more the reason to buy into Blackburn. This isn't something that will happen often.
Lastly, if there's an owner in your league that's looking to deal Blackburn right now, you should consider making an offer. I'm not saying this is a top-of-the-order stud, but he's an awesome, awesome 4th or 5th starter in any league... especially when he's facing a two-start week (LIKE NEXT WEEK!!!).
Enough of me proving myself correct for now... just a weekly "Nick Blackburn Rocking" update.
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