Rivera and Blackburn makes a great team

There's been a common thread in Twins starter Nick Blackburn's last four outings: The man behind the plate.Catcher Rene Rivera has called Blackburn's last four starts, including Tuesday's complete game win against the Mariners. Rivera helped Blackburn keep Seattle's hitters off-balance all night Tuesday, as he struck out six and didn't allow a walk.In the four games Rivera has caught him, Blackburn never allowed more than two earned runs. He combined for six total earned runs in 30 combined innings, with 20 strikeouts and seven walks."Rene's great," Blackburn said. "We go over our game plan before the game. I tell the guys I want to spin them and keep them off balance and crowd them and all that stuff, and that's exactly what he does.""Rivera and Blackie work really well together," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They've had some good starts together. I think the one thing that's really important with Blackie is to pound inside. I think Rivera does a really good job of making sure he pitches hard in, and that sets up everything else to get the ground balls and the rollovers."While Blackburn likes pitching to Rivera, the respect goes both ways between these battery mates."He's a great pitcher, great guy. I love working with him," Rivera said of Blackburn. "I like the staff. I think we do a pretty good job."After Tuesday's game, Blackburn admitted he and Rivera have even teamed up for a bit of trickery when the duo works together in order to fool opposing batters."It may look like I'm shaking (him off) a lot, but a lot of times he's back there telling me to shake to throw the hitter off," Blackburn said. "I very rarely have to shake him off, and it's great. It just kind of gives you a little bit of confidence on the mound. I don't have to second guess anything.""I went to (shake off) a couple times to make the hitter think a little bit more," Rivera said.While Rivera was busy calling Blackburn's complete game, he also saved a run with a play at the plate in the top of the seventh and scored Minnesota's go-ahead run in the bottom half of the inning. With Seattle catcher Miguel Olivo on third, Carlos Peguero grounded to second baseman Alexi Casilla, who charged the ball and threw home to Rivera.Olivo made contact with Rivera at the plate, but the Twins catcher held on for the second out of the inning, saving a big run."He hit me pretty good," Rivera said. "I'm there to take the hit and keep going and playing. I was thinking he was out. I kept the ball. I tried to hold the ball and stay there and stay in the game.""That was great," Blackburn said of the defense. "Obviously the game would have been completely different if they weren't making plays."In the bottom of the seventh, Rivera singled on a bloop to right field just his fifth hit of the season and advanced to third on Casilla's double to right. With Denard Span at the plate, Seattle starter Doug Fister balked, allowing Rivera to put the Twins up 3-2. His run would prove to be the game-winner."I was expecting him to go first to third. I was ready for that," Rivera said of Fister. "I guess the umpire called a balk."Rivera insisted he wasn't thinking about charging into Olivo at home while he sat at third base with Span up to bat. After all, it was Olivo who laid a hit on Rivera in the top half of the inning."You never know what happens," Rivera said. "It might be a ground ball or something. I'm going to go hard, too. That's part of the game. That's something you have to do. That's part of baseball."