Then the next batter, Buster Posey, laced a single, and it appeared the Phillies might be in for another long night of playing catchup when Blanton starts.
But Blanton managed to get through the first without further damage, and Jimmy Rollins went on to singlehandedly give him a cushion in the Phillies' 8-2 win.
The trepidation that has coursed through a Philly crowd in the first inning when Blanton pitches is justified. He had allowed at least two earned runs in the first inning of five of his previous eight starts. That computes to a first-inning ERA of 14.63 during that stretch. Yet in those eight games, Blanton's ERA was a very respectable 3.19 from the second inning on. His season ERA for the first inning was 8.63.
If only Blanton could begin his starts in the second inning.
Publicly, at least, Blanton doesn't share his feelings on why he has struggled in the first inning. He shrugs it off in a stuff-happens sort of way, which is probably just as well. Otherwise, why risk its becoming some kind of psychological hurdle? Denial can be good in baseball.
"Even though I gave up a couple runs the last few games, I still made good pitches, but choppers found the hole," Blanton said after striking out seven and walking none to earn his first win since July 26. He extended a walk-less streak by Phillies pitchers to 19 innings.
"Tonight they found a couple holes, but I was able to get out of it. That's baseball. Sometimes it happens and sometimes you get out of it."
The highlights of Blanton's night came when he ended the fifth inning by freezing Torres with a two-strike fastball that caught a corner of the plate, and then duplicated the feat when Posey led off the sixth.
As for Torres' leadoff homer, Blanton said he didn't want to walk the first batter, so he took his chances with a fastball.
