SEATTLE — Another poor start from Nick Blackburn turned into another Twins loss, this time a 5-3 Mariners victory in Seattle.
Blackburn fell behind early, giving up a two-out, two-run homer to John Jaso in the first inning. Miguel Olivo followed with a solo shot in the second to make it 3-0.
Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham hit back-to-back homers in the top of the eighth inning to trim the lead to 5-3, but the Twins couldn’t get closer.
Two new Twins called up from Triple-A Rochester had an immediate impact. Right fielder Matt Carson knocked in the Twins’ first run with an RBI single. Pedro Florimon, playing shortstop, had a circus catch in the bottom of the seventh.
With the loss, the Twins dropped their third straight game, falling to 50-68 on the year.
