Joe Blanton

The Phillies had squandered so many chances Saturday night until a 90-foot sprint by Jimmy Rollins. When the shortstop's right foot touched first base, he spread his arms to signal safe. First-base umpire Paul Emmel agreed. Rollins clapped his hands and pumped his fist. They had pushed Boston to the brink of snapping. Then Shane Victorino swung at a first-pitch fastball from Alfredo Aceves and a wave of good vibes plopped into Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles' glove. "I would swing at that every single time," Victorino said.

1. Raul Ibanez has to start hitting. 2. Joe Blanton must return to his winning form. 3. J.A. Happ has to get healthy and contribute. 4. A healthy Chase Utley would do the trick.

Lost Monday in the shuffle of a cold offense, two tie games blown by a shaky bullpen, and 12 innings of baseball was Joe Blanton's rebound. The Phillies' fifth starter was more effective than he had been in his first two outings. In seven innings, he pitched in and out of trouble and allowed only two earned runs on seven hits. He struck out four. More important, with runners on base, Blanton was improved. Milwaukee had the leadoff man on in five of Blanton's seven innings.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The second week of March is no time to make definitive judgments about a baseball team. It also isn't a time to trade away pitching depth. So, as rumors continue to circulate about the Phillies' interest in trading Joe Blanton, we can say one of three things: * They are not true. * They are true, and the Phillies are open to a move that, from this vantage point, constitutes a wholly unnecessary risk. * They are true, but only as part of a bigger plan, one that may or may not rhyme with Soy, No Salt.

National League Championship Series Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Best of seven Phillies lead series, 2-0 TV: Fox29. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM), ESPN (950-AM) WUBA (1480-AM) Spanish GAME 1: THURSDAY Phillies 3, Dodgers 2 WP: Hamels (2-0) LP: Lowe (1-1) HR: Burrell, Utley GAME 2: YESTERDAY Phillies 8, Dodgers 5 WP: Myers (2-0) LP: Billingsley (1-1) HR: Ramirez GAME 3: TOMORROW, 8:22 P.M. Phillies (Jamie Moyer, 0-1)

Joe Blanton's first start in a Phillies uniform came in the not-so-friendly confines of Shea Stadium. The Phillies won that game against the New York Mets, scoring a slew of runs in the ninth, but Blanton, a midseason acquisition from Oakland, did not figure in the decision. On that late July evening, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel called Blanton's effort "pretty good. " Two-and-a-half months later, Blanton is slated to pitch what could be the Phils' most important game in 15 years - since 1993, when they last played in the National League Championship Series.

Ryan Howard has made a number of changes since the Phillies won a World Series championship last October. He signed a multiyear contract. He dropped about 20 pounds. He labored to improve his defense. And, canny observers may have noticed, he began wearing a mouthpiece during games. The first baseman, 29, is always seeking ways to improve. When he saw Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez sporting a clear mouthpiece on his lower row of teeth last season, Howard was intrigued.

WHEN Joe Blanton is right, there are innings in which you fear for the safety of the men who play behind him. Balls scald the infield, come at you as if shot from the hot-dog gun, force you to play every pitch with your glove up around your chest, the way you were taught as a kid. Again, this is when he is right, when he is not bothered by a bad biceps, an ornery oblique, a back that limited him to eight starts last season and made him just...

Joe Blanton reached for his helmet and bat without hesitation. Maybe, if he avoided Charlie Manuel or Rich Dubee in the dugout, he could extend his outing beyond the seventh inning Monday. Manuel stopped Blanton before he escaped. "How do you feel?" the manager asked his fifth starter. "Good," Blanton said. So he batted. Even as Blanton cursed when Manuel finally emerged with the hook in the eighth inning of a 5-1 Phillies victory over Houston, there was so much to be happy about.

BEING RUBEN Amaro Jr. is kind of like being Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen or even the late Steve Jobs. You are constantly in competition with your previous hits, your biggest headlines, your biggest surprises. When you are asked what you are up to and you say, "Not much," maybe even your own mother has trouble believing it. Which brings us to Roy Oswalt, still out there shopping his services. Whether it was real courtship or something drummed up by an agent earning his keep, Oswalt's name has been linked this winter to, in no particular order, Boston, Detroit, Texas, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and this past weekend, back to the Phillies.

The Phillies had squandered so many chances Saturday night until a 90-foot sprint by Jimmy Rollins. When the shortstop's right foot touched first base, he spread his arms to signal safe. First-base umpire Paul Emmel agreed. Rollins clapped his hands and pumped his fist. They were within two runs and pushed Boston to the brink. Then Shane Victorino swung at the first pitch and a wave of good vibes plopped into Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles' glove. A six-game winning streak and chance to escape last place was skunked by a 7-5 loss to Boston.

The Phillies had squandered so many chances Saturday night until a 90-foot sprint by Jimmy Rollins. When the shortstop's right foot touched first base, he spread his arms to signal safe. First-base umpire Paul Emmel agreed. Rollins clapped his hands and pumped his fist. They had pushed Boston to the brink of snapping. Then Shane Victorino swung at a first-pitch fastball from Alfredo Aceves and a wave of good vibes plopped into Red Sox shortstop Mike Aviles' glove. "I would swing at that every single time," Victorino said.

Joe Blanton reached for his helmet and bat without hesitation. Maybe, if he avoided Charlie Manuel or Rich Dubee in the dugout, he could extend his outing beyond the seventh inning Monday. Manuel stopped Blanton before he escaped. "How do you feel?" the manager asked his fifth starter. "Good," Blanton said. So he batted. Even as Blanton cursed when Manuel finally emerged with the hook in the eighth inning of a 5-1 Phillies victory over Houston, there was so much to be happy about.

ATLANTA - The stationary bike beeped twice, and Joe Blanton stepped off after 15 minutes exactly. Around him, the rest of the Phillies reveled in a brisk getaway day 4-0 victory over the Braves. A team official worked feverishly to push up the team's charter flight to Washington. Brian Schneider iced his back with a wide smile. Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon lounged in a corner of the room and laughed. "I was hoping for under two hours," Blanton said. His first shutout in 1,797 days took 2 hours, 2 minutes to complete.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel revamped his lineup in hopes of shaking up a struggling offense, and, at least for one night, he received the desired results. With Jimmy Rollins returning to the leadoff spot for the first time this season and contributing a two-run double, the Phillies defeated the Chicago Cubs, 5-2, on Saturday at chilly Citizens Bank Park. Manuel said before the game the move wasn't made specifically for Rollins, but more because he wanted to get others in the lineup.

WHEN Joe Blanton is right, there are innings in which you fear for the safety of the men who play behind him. Balls scald the infield, come at you as if shot from the hot-dog gun, force you to play every pitch with your glove up around your chest, the way you were taught as a kid. Again, this is when he is right, when he is not bothered by a bad biceps, an ornery oblique, a back that limited him to eight starts last season and made him just...

Joe Blanton sat in on the initial news conference and posed for all the photo shoots last year in spring training, but he was no more a fifth ace than Peter Best was a fifth member of the Beatles. And that was before his elbow started barking with a mysterious pain. By the end of the season, Blanton was nothing more than a forgotten man stuck in Clearwater rehabilitating an injury that just would not seem to go away. He made a few September relief appearances and even got into a postseason game.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - At the beginning of spring training, Rich Dubee was reluctant to apply any labels to Joe Blanton. First, the pitching coach said, he needed to see Blanton take the ball every fifth day. Consider that done. But after Blanton allowed five runs in five innings Monday in a 6-0 Phillies loss to Boston, Dubee could not say when Blanton will make his first start in the regular season. Yes, Blanton is the Phillies' fifth starter. "Right now," Dubee said.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The second week of March is no time to make definitive judgments about a baseball team. It also isn't a time to trade away pitching depth. So, as rumors continue to circulate about the Phillies' interest in trading Joe Blanton, we can say one of three things: * They are not true. * They are true, and the Phillies are open to a move that, from this vantage point, constitutes a wholly unnecessary risk. * They are true, but only as part of a bigger plan, one that may or may not rhyme with Soy, No Salt.