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MIN@KC: Blackburn earns win in his return from the DL

They hit a speed bump in their last game against the Cubs on Sunday, but the Twins start a three-game Interleague series on Tuesday against the Phillies at Target Field with an offense that is one of the hottest in the Majors.

The Phillies, meanwhile, continue to languish in last place in the National League East standings, but manager Charlie Manuel still holds out hope that his team can rebound and become a semblance of the team that won the past five NL East championships.

Sunday's 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Orioles was the eighth defeat in nine games for the Phillies, who left 10 runners on base and went 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Nevertheless, Manuel was taking the old chin-up approach after the game.

"You got to keep going," Manuel said. "We've always rebounded by the end of the season. We're thinking about winning."

The Twins have scored the second-most runs in baseball dating back to May 16, with their 125 runs trailing only the White Sox (141).

Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster slowed them down on Sunday, shutting them out for eight innings in an 8-2 Cubs victory.

One of the biggest reasons for the Twins' recent success is finding some stability in their batting order.

It had been in flux for most of the season, and manager Ron Gardenhire has used 18 different position players this year.

But, in the process, numerous players have developed better consistency, making Gardenhire's job easier in setting his lineup.

The middle of the order, with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Josh Willingham, has been particularly reliable.

"I like to be able to print pretty much the same lineup," Gardenhire said. "It's a nice thing. And if you take a guy like Mauer out, you can move Willingham and Morneau up. It's a pretty good situation to have. We've got a little flexibility and some kids who are playing well off the bench. So we've got a good flow going."

Phillies: Kendrick to start
• Right-hander Kyle Kendrick (2-5, 4.44 ERA) will start on Tuesday for the Phillies. Kendrick, 27, allowed five runs on four hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings last Wednesday against the Dodgers. He struck out six.

• Hunter Pence was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in Sunday's loss to the Orioles. He's hitting .281 with 38 RBIs.

• Left fielder Juan Pierre also was 2-for-4, raising his average to .322, and also scored two runs.

Twins: Blackburn makes another start
• Nick Blackburn (2-4, 7.75 ERA) will make his second start on Tuesday since returning from a stint on the disabled list with a strained left quad. He fared well in his return last Wednesday in Kansas City, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings for his second victory of the season.

• Mauer, still working his way back to top form after an injury-marred 2011 season, was the DH on Sunday and was hitless in four at-bats, leaving his batting average at .302.

Worth noting
• Sunday's loss snapped the Twins' three-game winning streak, but they still have won nine of their last 12 games and appear to be rebounding from a bad start, when they lost 15 of their first 20 games and 26 of their first 36.

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