Knuckle Curve » joe blanton

Joe Blanton to Start Game 4 of World Series

Stephen Kersey — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:55:09 +0000

For Game 4 of the 2009 World Series, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had a dilemma. Should he start ace Cliff Lee on short rest or should he go with Joe Blanton? As it turns out, Manuel has decided to go with Blanton.

Lee has been very good in the postseason but he has no professional experience starting on only three days rest. Apparently, Manuel didn’t want to see whether or not Lee can be effective on short rest. Instead, Lee will get the baseball to start Game 5.

Going with Blanton isn’t without risk. Against the New York Yankees in four starts, Blanton has an ERA of 8.18 and a record of 0-3. Both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have had much success off of Blanton.

The Phillies are banking on Blanton’s recent success in Game 4 outing. In fact, last year in the World Series, Blanton got the win against the Tampa Bay Rays to help the Phillies extend to a 3-1 series lead.

The Yankees are likely to make the opposite decision. CC Sabathia, who has already started on short rest during this year’s postseason, will probably start Game 4 on three days of rest.

Joe Blanton - Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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Phillies Pound Rays in Game 4 of World Series

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:14:17 +0000

Ryan Howard showed in Game 4 why he is such a feared hitter.

The Philadelphia Phillies, after their 10-2 win, are now one win away from winning the 2008 World Series and being declared the 2008 baseball champions. Leading in the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, the Phillies dominated in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the best out of seven series.

The big star on Sunday night was none other than Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman for the Phillies. Howard hit two home runs and finished the game 3-4 with walk and five RBIs.

Howard wasn’t the only hitting star for the Phillies on this night. Right fielder Jayson Werth had a home run of his own. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton was not only dominant on the mound, he also helped his own cause by hitting a home run in the fifth inning. On the mound, Blanton went six innings and gave up two runs while striking out seven batters.

The Rays could never get things going. Their only two runs of the game were courtesy of solo homers by Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske. Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine struggled, but he wasn’t alone. All four pitchers who pitched for Tampa Bay gave up at least one run.

The Phillies will go for the 2008 World Series championship on Monday. The Rays, on the other hand, will try to win the game and send the series back to Tampa Bay. The pitchers in Game 5 will be Scott Kazmir for the Rays and Cole Hamels for the Phillies. Game 5 of the World Series starts at 8PM eastern and will be shown on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

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Joe Blanton Traded to Philadelphia Phillies

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:45:40 +0000

The Philadelphia Phillies had a major need for a starting pitcher. The Oakland A’s seem to be rebuilding once again. When those two opposing forces met, it resulted in the A’s trading starting pitcher Joe Blanton to the Phillies for three minor leaguers.

Blanton came into this season with big expectations but he has struggled. So far in 2008, Blanton has a 5-12 record with an ERA of 4.96. Despite his struggles, he should strengthen the Phillies’ starting rotation.

In return, the A’s received Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman and Matthew Spencer. Earlier in the month, Oakland traded starting pitcher Rich Harden to the Chicago Cubs.

Here is a video with more information about the Joe Blanton trade:

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