Joe Blanton picked a fine time for his best outing of 2009 and Ryan Howard picked up where he left off during his recent visits to his native St. Louis as the Phils beat the Cardinals 6-1 in the opener of a two-game set.
Blanton worked out of a big jam in the sixth inning to post a strong outing. Though he threw a lot of pitches and his strike/ball ratio wasn't impressive, Blanton was around the plate all night (getting squeezed occasionally by Jim Wolfe), especially with his hard sinker. At the risk of beating a dead horse (hey, this is only my third reference to the subject in less than a week) I expect great improvement from the Phils' starting rotation now that first-string catcher Carlos Ruiz is back behind the plate. Right now, no catcher in the big leagues blocks balls better or handles his staff better. Ruiz also came up with another tag at home plate that would probably have been dropped by Chris Coste.
Jayson Werth and Howard provided all of the offensive power with a two-run and grand slam homer respectively. Nothing brings out the best in Howard quite like family and friends in the stands in abundance. While Howard always hits well against the Cards in St. Louis we are witnessing quite an overall maturation of the big fella wherever he plays. Everything about his game has shown marked improvement this season. He is fielding well, swinging well, showing good plate discipline, going with the pitch, and cutting down on the K's. Maybe it's the mouthguard?
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