A few notes from the clubhouse, gathered after the Twins 4-3 loss to the Rangers:

* Manager Ron Gardenhire said Justin Morneau likely will play first base on the upcoming road trip to New York and Tampa Bay. Morneau has started all nine games at DH so far this year.

* Nick Blackburn said his right shoulder felt tight today, about like he'd expect the day after a start. Asked if he'd be able to make his next start, he said yes but added that he wasn't sure what the plan will be.

* The Twins are concerned with Glen Perkins after his two rough outings this weekend. He looked nowhere near as sharp as he did last season.

"It stinks," Perkins said. "Liam [Hendriks] did a good job. Our hitters got us enough to win the game, and I didn't do my job. It's just as disappointing as any other bad outing. We needed a win today to avoid a sweep. We had them where we wanted them, and I didn't get it done."

Jim Souhan and I will have more for tonight's first editions.