Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Earns win in return
Blackburn (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings to earn the win Friday over the Angels.
Blackburn's return from a stress reaction in his right foot got off to a rough start -- he allowed two-run home runs to Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel in the first inning. Manager Mark Kotsay let Blackburn work through the issues, and the right-hander did well to settle in, finishing with 72 pitches (41 strikes). He's now at a 4.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 38:14 K:BB through 51 innings over nine starts this season. Blackburn may continue to have modest workload restrictions over his next one or two starts. He's projected for a challenging home outing against the Dodgers next week.
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