Skip to main content

Blanton's Struggles No Reason For Panic

By
Lakewood pitching coach Steve Schrenk watches Joe Blanton warm up for an April rehab start


This season, as he recovered from an oblique strain, Joe Blanton showed up in Lakewood, New Jersey for a rehabilitation assignment slimmer and ready to prove himself worthy of the 3-year/$24 million contract extension he signed with the Phillies in January. He showed up more fit and with refined control, as he threw 2 solid innings for the A-level BlueClaws on 13 pitches, 11 of which were strikes.

Blanton was well known for being a pitcher who hadn't previously missed time with injuries and, when speaking with PhoulBallz writer Jay Ballz in April, asserted his desire to reach the 200 inning plateau once again this season, despite his late start, missing the entire month of April with the big league Phillies. Blanton's inning totals would regularly be in the 190-200 innings pitched range each full season of his career. He once reached 230 innings pitched for Oakland in 2007, when he led the American League in starts. Blanton is now on pace to pitch roughly 160 innings for the season, which is not bad considering the injury delay, but not near what Blanton wished his own output to be.

Blanton has just 2 quality starts (defined as an outing where a starting pitcher will throw at least 6 innings, and allow no more than 3 earned runs) in his 7 games in 2010. The Phillies have won just 2 games that Blanton has pitched in out of those 7 outings.


No longer performing as a successful innings eater, with a 1-4 record and a 6.07 ERA this season, perhaps Joe's real life eating habits that trimmed his waste size have had an effect on his performance on the mound. Could it be time to thicken Joe Blanton back up? On Phillies game broadcasts, phans hear nightly that "Nothing goes better with Phillies baseball than a Tastykake!" It might be time for the Phillie Phanatic's pal Kirbee Krimpet to pay Blanton a visit and return him to his previously pudgy status. Blanton had a career 4.21 ERA prior to this season.

Kidding aside, Blanton's ERA through his first 7 starts in 2009 was 6.86 and his record as 1-3. Over the 7 starts that followed, Blanton posted a 3.53 ERA and a 3-2 record. He finished 2009 with a 12-8 overall record and a 4.05 ERA. The ERA was an improvement over his total in each of the previous two seasons. So phans, rest assured that there is plenty of time for Blanton to right his own sleek and streamlined ship.


___________________________________


Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

By
J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i...
2 comments
Read more

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

By
JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Phreestyle Battle & Notes

By
Unrelated to baseball, really...but it's fun and our Phils are off today. This new kid on the hip hop scene, Charles Hamilton , whose single Brooklyn Girl is ripping up radio and video count downs, was at PSU for a performance recently. A freestyle battle ensued, and as you'll see, the Penn State student held his own. Stay tuned for the ending. It's the best part. Here are some random Phillies-in-idle baseball thoughts and notes- Colbert Hamels is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow vs. Team Canada. Shane Victorino is going to wear #50 on his jersey for Team USA, a nod to Hawaii Five-O. Brad Lidge is likely to not see game action till next week, after he throws some more bullpen sessions and works out the tightness in his forearm. Albert Pujols is declaring "respect for his country" as reasoning for sitting out of the Cardinals' exhibition this week against Team Dominican Republic. He told reporters, "I don’t want to play against them...
2 comments
Read more