Gallen of Phils: Blanton Needs a Seat
This is a little something I’ll call “Gallen of Phils”. I’ll do it weekly with things I’ve seen or heard surrounding the Phillies, or any other pertinent baseball information. Thoughts or comments, leave at the bottom or hit me up at Pat@philliesnation.com
1. Joe Blanton is struggling: You already knew this, but it’s worth noting. This is not the Joe Blanton that we know. It’s also not the same Blanton that signed a three-year, $24 million contract before the season started. He began the year on the DL with an oblique strain. Is it lingering? My thought: skip Blanton’s next start when possible. If that means whenever J.A. Happ is ready, then so be it. But it looks like Blanton needs a rest and needs to shore up his mechanics. Either that, or, a quick trip to the minors to get his head straight.
2. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”: This is unbelievable news. I’ll be honest, this show hasn’t been as good lately as in the early seasons, but it’s still damn brilliant. And this makes it even better. With that said, here’s Mac’s letter to Chase Utley:
Dear Chase, I feel like I can call you Chase because you and me are so much alike. I would love to meet you some day. It would be great to have a catch. I know I can’t throw as fast as you, but I think you would be impressed with my speed. I love your hair. You run fast. Do you have a good relationship with your father? Me neither. These are all things we can talk about and more. I know you have not been getting my letters because I know you would write back if you did, and I hope you write back this time and we get to be good friends. I am sure our relationship would be a real home run. – Mac
3. Stephen Strasburg is good: Shane Victorino chatted with a few of us before the Marlins game that was eventually rained out and he raved about the young righty after his 14 strikeout performance against Pittsburgh. He said (and I’m paraphrasing) that he has Ubaldo Jimenez-type stuff. Many are saying the same glowing remarks. With the way the Phillies are hitting recently, I’m not sure the lot wouldn’t want to see this kid, either. However, Strasburg was less impressive in start #2 today against Cleveland. He only K’d eight over 5 1/3 innings. Do you think the Phillies will have success when/if they see Strasburg this season?
4. Mike Stanton is also good: The 20-year old Marlins outfielder looks to be a star in the making. He has the build to rival Brent Celek up the seam, but he can also hit a baseball as far as I’ve seen in a long time. During his first batting practice last week against the Phillies, Stanton hit back-to-back shots over the Geico sign in left field into the upper deck. Get used to it, we’re going to be seeing a lot of this. How about this: The Marlins could have actually had BOTH Stanton and Jason Heyward in the same outfield, but passed last minute on Heyward in the 2007 draft after believing he would only sign with his hometown Atlanta Braves. What an outfield that could have been, yikes.
