(Sports Network) - Things were quite peachy for Arizona Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb midway through the month of May. At the time Webb was the majors' first nine-game winner at 9-0 and sported a 2.56 ERA. Webb had also won 11 consecutive starts dating back to September of the 2007 campaign.

In six starts since then, Webb is a subpar 2-3 with a no-decision and a 4.54 earned run average. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner struggled through his shortest outing in almost four years on June 17 versus Oakland, when he surrendered seven runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 frames. Webb had pitched just two innings at St. Louis on September 17 of the 2004 campaign.

The right-hander is tied with Anaheim's Joe Saunders in wins at 11-3, while sporting a 3.27 ERA and 82 strikeouts over 15 starts in 2008. This afternoon, Webb will lead the Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game interleague series against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome. Webb lost his only start against the Twins on June 13, 2003, when he gave up three runs in six innings of a 3-1 loss on the road.

Arizona has dropped the first two tests of this set and have lost five of its last seven games overall. In Saturday's 6-1 setback to the Twins, Micah Owings was dealt the loss as he lasted 6 1/3 innings and gave up three runs on five hits. Stephen Drew went 2-for-4 and scored a run for the NL West-leading D'Backs, who are 0-2 on a nine-game road trip and 15-21 away from the desert this season. Arizona is 4 1/2 games ahead of Los Angeles in the division.

Minnesota will try to close out a six-game homestand with a perfect record in today's series finale. It improved to 5-0 on the stand and 24-16 at the Metrodome this season after last night's triumph. Delmon Young, Justin Morneau and Alexi Casilla each had a hit and an RBI for the Twins, who have won eight of their last 10 overall. Brian Buscher had a two-run double in the win.

Starter Nick Blackburn lasted seven innings and yielded just one run on three hits while fanning three batters to pick up the victory. Blackburn benefited from a six-run seventh inning for Minnesota, which is 2 1/2 games behind Chicago for the top spot in the AL Central.

Former Diamondback Livan Hernandez will take the ball for Minnesota on Sunday, and he is 7-4 with a 5.56 ERA in 16 starts this season. Hernandez, who spent parts of 2006 and the entire 2007 season with Arizona, ended a six-start winless streak in his last outing on June 17 versus Washington. He held the Nationals to one run and five hits in seven frames of a 2-1 win.

The big right-hander is a perfect 5-0 in eight home starts this season, and 9-6 with two complete games and a 3.67 earned run average through 17 career appearances against the D'Backs.

Minnesota has won six of the last eight meetings with Arizona.