Blackburn didn't factor into the decision in the Athletics' win over the Giants on Saturday, firing six scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and three walks. He struck out seven.
The right-hander was pulled after 105 pitches, but there was plenty to be encouraged about from what was Blackburn's second straight quality start and third consecutive in which he surrendered two runs or fewer. After a delayed beginning to the season that saw him struggle to achieve start-to-start consistency over his first month-plus, Blackburn's current stretch of impressive work has seen him pitch to a 1-0 record, 1.56 ERA and 0.5 HR/9 across his last 17.1 innings. He lines up to next take the hill on the road against the Nationals during next weekend's interleague series.