Jason Werth certainly has a flair for the dramatic, but one has to wonder why he wasn't more grateful to rather than vengeful of his old mates. After all, didn't they allow him to walk away and into all those riches?
Werth was the hero in his new home town last night as the Nats beat the Phils handily, 7-4. Joe Blanton was again the goat. We can assume the Phils' alleged brain trust is already ramping up its monitoring of a replacement for Blanton. From this observer's perspective, Kentucky Joe has only a couple of more starts to get his act together before the Phils bail on him. The worst part about Blanton's rotten season to date is that his trade value is diminishing with every pitch.
Meanwhile, Livan Hernandez looked very good against the Phillies last night, a very sad commentary. When a pitcher can get you out on a 61 MPH curve, you know you are in for a long night.
Werth entered the game with his batting average exactly on the Mendoza line. He then proceeded to get a few hits including a line drive home run and a walk against his former team. The Inquirer headline read "Werth 1, Phillies 0" but the truth is the score was really Werth 1, Blanton 0. Things might have been different if a few Phillies could have delivered key hits in key situations, but they didn't.
So, the guy who has been touted since his arrival a few years ago as an "innings eater" was again the prey not the hunter. We aren't going to have Blanton to kick around much longer judging from his two starts in 2011. Past performance, as the brochures warn, is no guarantee of future returns but with Blanton it may sadly be the case.
1 comment:
Goes to prove that "former" players always step it up against their "former" team. Look back at any former Phillie, and the stats speak for themselves. Players like to prove a point when playing against the teams who let them go.
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