Phillies starter Joe Blanton cruised on Thursday behind massive offensive support as 3rd baseman Placido Polanco scored All Star starter points with a 4 hit, 2 RBI game while 2nd baseman Chase Utley and rightfielder Jayson Werth each had 3 hits. The Phils peppered starter Fausto Carmona and the Indians’ bullpen for 15 hits while newly called-up catcher Dane Sardinha belted his 1st career homer as the Phillies routed Cleveland by a 12-3 score to sweep their 3 game series.

With the win, the Phils picked up another full game and are now 2 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves who were beaten again and swept by the Chicago White Sox.  The Phils also picked up a full game to trail the 2nd place Mets by 2 games.  The Mets lost their series final to the Detroit Tigers.

Carmona managed to get through the first inning giving up only a 2 out single to Chase Utley.  But the Phils opened up on him with all barrels in the second. 9 Phils went to the plate in the inning and when the dust cleared after a fielding error, a hit batsman, 4 singles, a run-scoring groundout and a sacrifice fly, the Phils had a 5-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Blanton cruised through the 1st four innings retiring 12 of the 14 hitters he faced, only allowing a third inning 1 out single to former Phil shortstop prospect Jason Donald and a 2 out fourth inning bunt single to 1st baseman Russell Branyan.  Blanton was touched for 2 Indians runs in the fifth as Donald belted a 1 out, 2 run homer to leftfield.  He then retired the next 7 Indians he faced before Donald opened the eighth with a double and scored on centerfielder Trevor Crowe’s 2 out RBI double.

The Phils were never in any danger in this one as they added 2 more runs in the fifth on 3 hits and a run-scoring fielder’s choice grounder, and 5 more runs on 5 hits in the sixth — including recent call-up Sardinha’s 1st MLB homer to open the inning.  Reliever Nelson Figueroa, who has been up and down this season for the Phils and who was re-activated when Chad Durbin went onto the DL with a right hamstring strain, retired the final 4 Indians hitters and ended the game with a strikeout.

To read more about the Phils’ offensive barrage, click here.

To view the scores of all of Thursday’s games, click here.

The Phils head to Toronto for a 3 game series to end their 2010 interleague play.  In Friday’s opener, ace Roy Halladay tries again for his 9th win after some tough luck due to a sleepy offense.  He is opposed by Jesse Litsch for the Blue Jays.

On Saturday, lefthander Cole Hamels is opposed by Shaun Marcum.

To view all of Friday’s and Saturday’s games, click here and here.

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 4:11 am and is filed under Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary
Phillies and NL East, Analysis, Predictions, etc
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