vlaze.com

Nick Blackburn will start on Friday according to local reports from Minnesota. Blackburn was struck in the nose by a line drive by NY Yankee Bobby Abreu last Sunday and after his bullpen session on Tuesday he will go ahead with his scheduled start. Remarkably no broken bones for the Twins right-hander, just a bruised nose and upper lip. Blackburn has pitched well this season sporting an ERA of just 3.32 on the season. But his ERA is nearly a full 2 runs higher on the road than at home this season. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen’s methods are extreme but we will see his tirade last Sunday will be effective. The White Sox skipper called out his hitters which is common but what was different was Guillen’s criticism of his hitting coach handing him with part of the blame for his team’s 2-year offensive slump. Javier Vazquez has pitched well for the White Sox giving up just 9 earned runs over his last 4 starts in 26 2/3rd’s innings pitched. It’s worth noting that this is the first time this season that the Twins have faced Vazquez and the Sox bats are facing Blackburn for the 4th time this season. So Chicago had plenty of looks against the Twin starter. White Sox bats woke up on Tuesda