Game chat: Blanton scheduled in Reds rubber match

Joe Blanton (1-3, 6.86) tries to find his groove when the Phillies wrap up their series in Cincinnati. First pitch is 12:35.

With a chance to take this tough road series before heading off to the Bronx, this is a key game at an important spot in the schedule. The Phils really need a good outing from Blanton, coming off a poor start Friday in Washington. Of all the Phillies’ starters, Blanton has been the toughest nut to crack. He walked six his last outing, suggesting problems with his command, but at the same time, does he have enough stuff? For Cincinnati, Micah Owings (3-4, 3.95) will face a Phillies lineup featuring seven lefties.

Comments

[RSB]

Stairs is becoming the Businessperson's Special special.

[NEPP]

I hope Owings tries to sneak a fastball past Stairs...

[bay_area_phan]

Promising Chan Ho Park a chance to start because you want him in your bullpen is like promising some really hot, but incredibly bitchy, woman that you might marry her because you want her to go on a date with you.

Actually I take that back. It's like promising a slightly above-average looking, but incredibly bitchy, woman that you might marry her because you want her to go on a date with you.

[NEPP]

More like slightly average looking...where's this "above" crap coming from...

[bay_area_phan]

If I were Dusty Baker, Jay Bruce would be batting third and Micah Owings would be batting 4th. Owings is the 2nd best hitter in this lineup. Really.

[NEPP]

Phillips is a pretty decent hitter for a 2B...great power at least.

[bay_area_phan]

NEPP: I was being charitable, but I would say that Park was slightly above average out of the bullpen last year.

[timr]

Ibanez continues on his 162 RBI pace!

[Doohickey]

Owings is getting owned to start off.

[Doohickey]

It's good to see the other teams leadoff hiter first pitch swinging for a change.

[khaiokien]

Damn, no hitter broken up.

[Albert]

Wow, Dobbs is hitting .121. He really needed this start today to get some AB's

[G-Town Dave]

"Dick Pole" ... *snarf!*

[RSB]

Just that quickly, Ruiz is back to being Ruiz.

[Doohickey]

Ownings is wild today. Here's hoping he continues this way.

[Doohickey]

Nice work getting yourself picked off there, Dobbs.

[G-Town Dave]

Rollins Career SB #300.

[G-Town Dave]

The Man!!!!!! :-D

[CJ]

Dobbs can't get picked off there, but it was a great play by the Reds. Phillips rotating over on the bunt play snuck in behind Dobbs and perfectly blocked Dobbs' hand.

[RSB]

Great way to not let this guy off the hook.

[p. Red]

Nice to get an early lead for a change.

[CJ]

Nice little inning here. Blanton works a 2-out walk. Jimmy gets a single. The both move up with smart baserunning and Chase makes them pay driving in 2.

[TNA]

raul is the machine.

[G-Town Dave]

RAAAAAAAAÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

[CJ]

Rauuuuuuuuuuuuuul!

[Iceman]

Knock this bum out before he gets an AB.

[G-Town Dave]

Cincy has the bullpen up already. I guess they're not gonna go the Natinals/Cabrera route ...

[curt]

Unique sight - top of the order is 5 for 6.

[NEPP]

Ibanez is really good.

[thephaithful]

Peavy to Whitesox?

[Albert]

It is amazing what happens when Jimmy gets on base. What do you know, we score!

[Mike]

I can't believe McCarthy called Rollins "Jim Rollins" as they cut to break. Or maybe I can.

[MG]

If Blanton can't give the Phils something like 6 and 3-4 today, it will be pretty pathetic. He has a 4-0 lead and shouldn't be afraid to go afraid a hitter if he needs to.

[bay_area_phan]

It's nice to see the offense doing what they should & pounding an average pitcher. But the most important thing in this game is Blanton. For the Phillies' long-term health, he needs to start pitching well.

[timr]

Absolutely, MG. Blanton needs to make it easy on us today.

[G-Town Dave]

Mike: After several games of muting the TV audio in favor of the radio broadcast, I decided to give T-Mac & Muffin another shot this afternoon. Sufficed to say, that little experiment didn't last very long.

[CJ]

We really need to take advantage of this stretch to separate ourselves a little from the Mets. They're without Delgado and could very well be without Reyes for awhile. They're struggling right now... we have to keep getting wins!

[Bubba]

Anybody want to re-read all the "Ibanez was a mistake" themed posts from the off season.

Maybe we did a full season reverse BL curse,

[CJ]

Bubba: Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ;-)

Besides, some will still argue the "contract" was a mistake whether you agree that signing the player was smart or not.

I love what Rauuuuuuuul is doing for us and I couldn't care less about what the third year of the deal will be like at this point!

[MG]

Big issue today with Blanton is if he can avoid the killer letdown inning which has been plaguing him all year. It generally comes when he gets to around 60 pitches and then again when he is above 90 pitches.

[G-Town Dave]

MG: Well, at least Blanton didn't pull a Park & completely unravel in the very next half inning ... it's something to build on, at any rate. ;-)

[TNA]

Blanton looking good today so far. He's throwing lots and lots of strikes.

[NEPP]

I'll reiterate that I supported the Ibanez move.

[thephaithful]

CJ: Very true, Mets are very banged up. I was looking at their depth chart - with Reyes down with an aggrivated calf injury and Cora out for 6-8 weeks, they're backup SS is..... Ramon Martinez! Hah i hated him on the Phils but I love him on the Mets. He started on Monday and had 2 errors. Their emergency - stress the word emergency - SS is Fernando Tatis, who is also benig depended upon to play more corner OF with Murphy playing 1B in Delgado's absense.

I wouldn't doubt that the Mets sign a utility guy like Mark Derosa to hlep fill in, even though his limited SS days are well behind him.

[G-Town Dave]

Dobbs. :-)

[Mike]

Nice rip Dobbs!

[NEPP]

Downside of such injuries this early in the year is that Minaya might just be able to patch them up through trades. I'd much rather see them lose both in August so they collapse the final 2 months again.

[CJ]

GREAT to see! Greg Dobbs gets his first dinger. Our bench is much better when Dobbs starts swinging well. Two good at bats so far.

[thephaithful]

THat'a boy Dobbsy, that is sure a sight for sore eyes.

[Doohickey]

That's one way not to get picked off...

[Albert]

Nice to see Dobbs put a charge into one. Anyone like how Blanton has thrown just 10 balls?

[MG]

Dobbs has been pretty awful at the plate so but he needs to play on a more frequent basis. Still, it is hard to justify playing him more when Feliz is hitting so well and has some pretty impressive numbers against RHP.

I still would like to see Dobbs start at least once a week especially against a RHP who has good offspeed stuff though.

[king myno]

thephaithful - they'd have to trade for DeRosa, not sign him, but that kind of super utility guy would probably be a good acquisition for them right now.

And if all else fails, they can make a move for utility superstar Miguel Cairo.

[J. Weitzel]

Minor transaction: Antonio Bastardo was called up to AAA Lehigh Valley today, taking Jason Anderson's roster spot. Anderson was sent back down to AA Reading. Bastardo, who has pitched out of the bullpen and more recently, the rotation for Reading, will take a spot in the Lehigh Valley rotation. As of now, Lehigh Valley has not announed whose spot in the rotation Bastardo will take. In nine games (6 starts), Bastardo is 2-2 with a 1.82 ERA, and a very impressive 7/34 walk to strikeout ratio. - Gregg Shore

[Albert]

I'll trade them Donald for Santana.

[MG]

NEPP - Completely disagree. A loss is a loss and I don't see how the Mets are going to replace Delgado's production although I bet that Tatis/Sheffield aren't awful either.

No team will trade a bit bat now and it is not like the Mets have alot to give unless they really empty their system. Even the Phils arguably have more to trade now to get the missing pieces down the stretch. I don't even know if Minaya has the money available to take on a big salary either.

[CJ]

MG: Agreed. Feliz is playing well enough that any talk of a strict platoon right now doesn't make sense.

But Dobbs had less spring ABs because of some nagging injuries and hasn't played as much this year because Feliz has been healthy and hit well. Dobbs needs ABs to get his timing down.

[thephaithful]

nice update JW, I saw Bastardo was ML Player of the Week for the Phils with two lights out starts.. although his record was 0-1 in those two starts.

king: correct, i meant trade for Derosa. He is batting .255 so far for Cleveland who according to MLBTR want to unload his entire salary and a mediocre arm to help this season. I'm sure the Mets could end up working in a midlevel prospect instead, but taking the entire 4.1mil in 2009 is probably a must.

[bay_area_phan]

The Reds ought to give serious consideration to a position change for Micah Owings. He is a very average starting pitcher, if even that, on a team which already has one of the best starting rotations in the National League. As a pitcher, he could be replaced relatively easily. But he is a genuinely tremendous hitter.

[CJ]

Blanton: First pitch strikes to 9 of 11 batters through three innings.

[curt]

Watched Brian Sanches (!) pitch a nice 9th inning for the Fish last night, in front of 142 fans, 18 ushers, and 12 cops.

[TNA]

Can't say enough about Blanton's outing so far. His control on all his pitches has been impeccable.

[G-Town Dave]

I hate to dwell on the past, but can anyone come up w/ a compelling reason why Dobbs shouldn't have been in the lineup last night?

[TNA]

Dave - Moyer is a lefty. Manuel uses Feliz when a lefty is on the mound for the Phillies. Compelling? shrug.

[Mike]

Way to go Chutley!

[thephaithful]

curt: did you see Upton's game winning HR in that Marlins game? There was one fan in the entire outfield running vigorously through the seats trying to get to the ball, and then finally got near the path of the ball and realized it was flying into the upper deck! Haha, i felt so bad for him. He busted his ass through left field seats and was the ONLY guy in the entire OF and still didnt get the ball.

[bay_area_phan]

G-Town: You mean a compelling reason other than Feliz's .300 average, .800 OPS, and superior defense?

[Reme]

Gary Mathews is such a comforting presence. I just want to lay may head under one of his massive breasts and listen to his downhome country voice.

[G-Town Dave]

TNA: Yeah, I don't usually count Charlie's reasons for -- well, for much of anything -- "compelling".

CHAAAAAAAAASE!!!!!! :-D Nice to see the offense is still cranking. I hate it when the Phils take an early lead & then shut it down.

[NEPP]

Chase Utley, YOU ARE THE MAN!!!

~meanwhile in the dugout~

"I'm more clutch!" -Raul

"No, I'm more clutch!" -Chase

"No way, I'm super-clutch!" -Raul

"BS, I'm clutch plus infinity"-Chase

"Well, I'm clutch plus infinity plus one"-Raul

[TNA]

NEPP -
to which Stairs says, "I AM clutch."

...sending Raul and Chase go whimpering back to the bench.

[bay_area_phan]

NEPP: If they're arguing about who is the better player, Utley wins hands down. Ibanez's track record, however, makes pretty clear that he is the better clutch hitter.

[mike cunningham]

Chase's homer was #499 in the daily news payoff. Next one is worth 500. Will the "Band Box that A Rod's cousin built" get a lucky DN reader 5 large?

[mike cunningham]

excuse $5000

[curt]

phaithful - Nope, fell asleep in the 10th. The Fish need a new city. There are short-season A towns that put more actual bodies in the seats.

[G-Town Dave]

b_a_p: Or his 2-21 (now 2-24) lifetime record vs. Harang? Keep in mind, I'm a big fan & supporter of Feliz ... but it was absolutely idiotic to start him last night. A perfect opportunity for Charlie to use Dobbs, wasted.

[RSB]

Reme, I'm not sure whether to wince or laugh.

[bay_area_phan]

G-Town: I have to disagree. We had a pitcher on the mound who has been getting plastered. Feliz is a Gold Glove caliber defensive player; Dobbs is barely adequate. Plus Feliz has been hitting and Dobbs has been awful. Those factors are a lot more meaningful to me than a 21-AB sample size against a good pitcher, who is tough on most everyone.

[Bubba]

Whatever happened to our Ramon Hernandez- is he still coaching in the minors somewhere?

[RSB]

Bubba: you mean Ramon Henderson? He's in the Phils' low minors now. Guess he's got to work his way back up all over again.

[Bubba]

RSB- that is who I was thinking of- Thanks.

[curt]

I blame Feliz, Bruntlett and Taschner for last nights loss.

[bay_area_phan]

For the record, I would not have been offended if Cholly had started Dobbs last night. I'm never offended by starting him against a right-handed pitcher. But it's not like the decision to start Feliz was entirely irrational. I criticize Cholly all the time. But you're really going out on a limb if you're getting yourself worked up about a manager's decision NOT to start a bench player who is hitting .121.

[kilbillrain]

Big 2 innings here, he needs to keep it together and fight his out of shape arse through with a huffin and a puffin...

[bay_area_phan]

Ugh. Here comes the 4-run inning we were all waiting for.

[kilbillrain]

What's Joe's speed looking like. Significant drop from earlier innings?

[bay_area_phan]

If he can hold them to no more than 2 runs here, I would be more than satisfied.

[Doohickey]

Looks like Blanton is going to hit his 60- and 90- pitch walls in the same inning.

[kilbillrain]

Clearly gamescast has not resized their Strike Zone to reflect MLBs NEW Strike Zone when a pitch that is nearly dead center on GC is called a ball!

[MG]

Blanton lack of stamina has been a clear issue in just about every start. He starts to suck eggs around around 60 pitches and looks much more labored in his delivery. A starter shouldn't be getting gassed consistently around 60 pitches.

[G-Town Dave]

b_a_p: You're free to disagree, but it seems to me that if you've got a pitcher who has been getting bombed, it doesn't much matter how good your 3B defense is gonna be. As it is, Feliz' 2 Ks, GIDP & team-leading 3 LOB (2 of whom were in scoring position) ended up hurting the Phils more than his glove could've helped.

What annoys me is that Charlie's moves make no damn sense. He'll burn a PH to get a LH bat vs. a RH pitcher (& vice versa), but he'll also pass on a perfectly good opportunity to start a LH bat against a RH pitcher in favor of a guy hitting .095 lifetime vs. said pitcher ... Huh?

[J. Weitzel]

It might be stamina, but teams catch on with Blanton, too. He doesn't have an out pitch, so they wait him out, like Bruce did there.

[CRD]

MG: I remember years ago Wolf saying how he ran steps in either the Vet or the Bank (can't remember exactly how long ago this was) in order to build up more stamina. He claimed it helped him a lot. Blanton's lack of stamina could be do to poor conditioning, mainly not using his legs in the late innings.

[NEPP]

Blanton looks fine velocity wise...he's actually throwing pretty hard for him (91-92 this inning)

[Matt]

Great.

[kilbillrain]

Well if history shows us anything its that Joe should be pulled around 60-70 pc regardless of score...bonus! we can now let CHP pitch 2-3 innings after that point and we might have 1 solid pitcher!

[G-Town Dave]

OK, so who replaces Blanton in the rotation?

[mike cunningham]

@bap -- or a 5 run inning.

[TNA]

oh jesus

[R.Billingsly]

You've got to be kidding me!