Game Recap:
The Phillies left 15 men on base as Joe Blanton had another rough outing today. They dropped their first game of the season to the San Diego Padres in 10 innings.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 3-5 with two RBI.
Ryan Howard was 2-6 with three RBI, but he also struck out three times.
Brian Schneider was 2-4.
Brad Lidge pitched a perfect ninth inning to give the Phillies a chance in the bottom of the inning.
What went wrong?
Raul Ibanez went 0-4.
The Phillies went 3-15 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base.
Joe Blanton had his worst outing of the year, allowing five runs on 11 hits in just five innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out three.
Danys Baez pitched the tenth inning, and got tagged with the loss. He allowed a run on two hits and a walk.
Game Analysis:
At least the offense is starting to come around again. Even though the Phillies left 15 men on base today, they did have 11 hits and seven walks. The only good thing about leaving that many men on base is that they were out there to begin with. It's baby steps for the Phils right now, who have scored more than five runs in back to back games for the first time in over two weeks. Just seeing this team come back together at the plate is a good thing, and hopefully Jimmy Rollins can return soon to give them an extra lift.
That's not to say things are back to where they need to be. It's not even close right now. Chase Utley is hitting .265 on the season, Jayson Werth is down to .284 and Raul Ibanez is the worst of the bunch, coming in at .229. At least the Phils are starting to hit again, but until they can get all of those guys back to at least close to where they need to be, this offense isn't going to be at 100%. They need to pick up their games and not miss key chances to drive in runs. They all had shots today, but none of them could get anything done when they needed to. That's what has been the downfall of this team when they've lost in recent seasons, and while it's nice to be scoring runs again, it's not good to be leaving runs on the bases.
Unfortunately, leaving men on base was not the biggest problem today. That little nod falls on Joe Blanton, who hasn't looked one bit like the player that he's been for the Phillies over the past two seasons. Some of that might have to do with his injury, but if he's hurt, he shouldn't be out there. He's not doing the team any favors, especially when he's giving up five runs and 11 hits in just five innings. Those aren't good numbers for nine innings of work, and his season ERA is now above 6.00. I like Joe Blanton, I really do, but numbers like that aren't going to make people happy, and considering the contract that he signed in the offseason, he's going to start hearing it from people very soon. Right now, Blanton is the worst pitcher in the starting rotation. Everyone else, including Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick, have looked sharp lately, but Blanton has just been...there. It's not good, not at all.
Something has to be done with Blanton at this point. Whether it's another trip onto the disabled list, a change in his delivery or a quick trip down to AAA, something has to happen. He's not pitching well enough to win games. It might still be his Spring Training out there, I get that, but the Phillies aren't in a position right now to have him pitch like this every five games. They're going to lose that game, more often than not, and then that's going to push them even further back. Joe, you've been so good for this team since you got here, but something has to give right now.
Tomorrow, the Phillies go for the series win against the Padres. Cole Hamels (5-4, 4.20 ERA) goes up against Wade LeBlanc (2-4, 3.67 ERA).
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