Here are three thoughts following the Twins' 3-2 win over Houston.

1. NOT REALLY A THOUGHT, JUST UPDATES: I didn't have room for all the minutiae I gathered on Sunday, so I decided to put it here. Righthander Nick Blackburn continues to struggle with some discomfort in his knee, even after a cortisone shot last week. Vance Worley has taken longer than expected to deal with his sore shoulder, but the Twins report that he's making progress. First-round pick Kohl Stewart, who cut a foot while walking on a beach in Fort Myers, should be ready to return in 10-12 days. These returns are getting more important because it's the last full month of minor league ball. Assistant GM Rob Antony said it takes about two weeks for a pitcher to start a throwing program to get back in a game. So any more setbacks could end the season for these pitchers. Reliever Tim Wood, I'm hearing, continues to have setbacks. He hasn't pitched an inning this year -- and might not at all.

2. TWINS WANT TO CROWN THE ROYALS: The Twins are 3-10 against the Royals and were swept in a three-game series at Target Field last week. The Twins are talking as if they want revenge. "That was the frustrating thing, coming back home to being .500 on the homestand after losing three games was important to this ballclub," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We're going back to KC right now, and we know what they can do. It's going to be a tough series and hopefully a little payback." Justin Morneau added: "They feel like they are in the race, and we have to go in there and disrupt that. "We need to go in there and play better than we did here." My take: Deeds, not words.

3. PEDRO FLORIMON: The Twins' starting shortstop received treatment for his sore wrist on Sunday. It didn't sound as if he's a candidate for the DL, but the Twins will continue to monitor the situation.

BONUS THOUGHT THAT'S NOT REALLY A THOUGHT: I met Astros manager Bo Porter for the first time today. There's a lot of development going on with the Astros right now, as they take their lumps. The one cool thing I learned is that Porter is friends with new Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells. It goes back to when Porter played football at the University of Iowa. Parcells visited spring training this year and has taken Porter under his wing. It has nothing to do with the Twins, but I thought that was pretty neat