Game Recap:
Every starter scored a run and reached base as the Phillies finished their three game sweep of Cleveland behind a strong offensive effort and a good outing from Joe Blanton.
What went right?
Shane Victorino went 1-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Placido Polanco was 4-5 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Chase Utley continued his upswing, going 3-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Jayson Werth was 3-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
Wilson freaking Valdez even went 2-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored.
In his first start with the Phillies, Dane Sardinha went 1-4 with his first major league home run and two runs scored.
Joe Blanton had his best game of the year, allowing three runs on six hits in 7.2 innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six and would have gone for the complete game, had the city of Philadelphia not been hit by a monsoon in the top of the eighth inning.
What went wrong?
Nothing, unless you want to count the horrible storm that came through and kept Joe Blanton from completing his start.
Game Analysis:
Now, this is much, much more like it. After two bad games to finish up their series with the Minnesota Twins, and two one run games to start this series, the Phillies came out today and looked like the team that was playing at the top of the National League about a month and a half ago. Today, the Phils blasted Fausto Carmona for seven runs in four innings, and Joe Blanton looked better than he has all season to help back a 12-3 victory that gave the Phillies a sweep over Cleveland.
The offensive showing today proved that this team can swing with the top teams in baseball, and it's so good to see the bats waking up again. In the last two games, the Phillies have scored 19 runs, and are getting support up and down the lineup. Chase Utley has his average back up over .270, and Jayson Werth is getting close to .300 again. With those two coming back, and Ryan Howard continuing his solid play, the heart of the lineup is back in action and right where they need to be. They showed that today as well, blasting Fausto Carmona with a five run second inning that put the Indians down for the count early. The Phils batted around in the second, and even though Charlie Manuel got tossed for the second time in three games, it didn't have any effect on the game. The Phils had sent their message early, and this time, they kept their boot on Cleveland's neck, scoring twice more in the fifth and five more times in the sixth. From that point on, it was all about the pitching, and today, Joe Blanton was more than up to the task.
For the second straight start, Blanton looked solid. Today, he went into the eighth inning, and more than likely would have gone for the complete game had that thunderstorm not come through at the worst possible time. As good as it is to see the offense picking things back up again, it's even better to see Joe Blanton getting back on track after a horrible start to the season. Though it wasn't good for anyone for him to be getting shelled out on the mound for his first few starts, it seems like that was what he needed to get back into game shape again. Remember, he missed most of Spring Training with his injury, and needed to get himself going again. After pitching six innings in his last start and coming just short of a complete game today, it looks like he's back in game shape now. He's allowed just 13 hits and six runs in his last two starts, which are both wins. While those might not look like great numbers, compared to what he was putting up before, they're excellent. Those numbers are what people expect from Joe Blanton, to be honest. They don't expect him to go out and be Roy Halladay or Cole Hamels each time he pitches. As long as he does enough to keep the Phillies in the game, then everything is just fine. Today, he did that. Now, he just needs to keep it up.
It took a month of painful losses, but the Phillies look like they're on the right track again. They've won six out of eight games, and have closed to within two and a half games of the Braves for first place in the National League East. The offense is clicking again with Jimmy Rollins back at the top of the lineup, and the pitching, for the most part, has been better than advertised. As long as they can keep this play up for a sustained period of time, they should have no problem getting back to the top of the division. This is why the Braves and Mets wanted to get as big of a lead as possible before the Phillies woke back up. They both knew what this team could do, and it seems like the Phillies know now, too.
Tomorrow, the Phils kick off a three game "road" series against Toronto in Philadelphia. Roy Halladay (8-6, 2.43 ERA) makes his first start against his old team, as he faces off against Jesse Litsch (0-1, 6.75 ERA).
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