David Pinto worked for ten years as the chief researcher for ESPN’s Baseball Tonight. Starting in 2002, David brought his research and insights to a wider audience through his blog, Baseball Musings.

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Phillies Acquire Blanton

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July 17, 7:46 PM

by David Pinto, Baseball Examiner

Joe Blanton
Photo: Icon SMI

The Philadelphia Phillies acquire Joe Blanton from the Athletics for three minor leaguers:

The Athletics get second baseman Adrian Cardenas, pitcher Josh Outman and outfielder Matthew Spencer, all minor leaguers.

I'm not a big Blanton fan. He doesn't strike out many batters. The A's lowered his ERA a bit by pitching him mostly at home this season. In 14 starts in Oakland, he posted a 4.63 ERA. In six starts on the road, he posted a 5.73 ERA. In less than half the innings on road, he allowed the same number of home runs. He's going to a park known as a haven for power hitters, so I don't think he'll do that well in Philadelphia.

The other problem with Blanton is that he blows up in the middle innings. One through three, he allows a .245 BA, but in innings four and five that jumps to .369. Given that he's likely to replace Eaton, however, he'll probably be an improvement.

Adrian Cardenas is a 20-year-old middle infielder with a great OBA. Outman is 23, good K and home run numbers, but does walk a bit too many batters. Spencer is 22 with a OPS over .700 in 484 minor league at bats. That's not so great. Two of the three could turn into useful players for Oakland.

For more info: Baseball Musings.

Topics: Baseball , Athletics , Phillies , Joe Blanton

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Lovable no more

2 comments

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ALDS: White Sox versus Rays

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October 2, 10:25 AM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the White Sox and Rays, opponents in the ALDS.AL Ranks2008White SoxRaysRuns/Game5.00 (5th)4.78 (9th)Batting Avg..263 (11th).260 (13th)On-Base Average.332 (9th).340 (6th)Slugging Pct..448 (2nd).422 (8th)ERA4.06... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB

ALDS: Red Sox versus Angels

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October 1, 1:24 PM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the Red Sox and Angels, opponents in the ALDS.AL Ranks2008Red SoxAngelsRuns/Game5.22 (3rd)4.72 (10th)Batting Avg..280 (2nd).268 (7th)On-Base Average.358 (1st).330 (11th)/Slugging Pct..447 (3rd).413 (9th)ERA4.01... Read More
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September 30, 8:48 PM

For statistically minded baseball fans, the internet offers a bevy of sites to find the numbers on your favorite players or teams.It all starts with Baseball Reference. I remember buying my Baseball Encyclopedia in the mid 1980s and paging through the... Read More
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NLDS: Dodgers versus Cubs

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September 30, 5:27 PM

The following table compares the 2008 seasons of the Dodgers and Cubs, opponents in the NLDS.NL Ranks2008DodgersCubsRuns/Game4.32 (13th)5.31 (1st)Batting Avg..264 (5th).278 (2nd)On-Base Average.333 (6th).354 (1st)/Slugging Pct..399 (13th).443 (1st)ERA3.68... Read More
Topics: League Division Series , MLB

NLDS: Brewers versus Phillies

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September 30, 5:25 AM

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AL Batting Race

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September 28, 9:26 AM

The AL batting brings two more games into the interesting category on this last day of the season. Joe Mauer leads with a .330 BA (.32954), a five point lead over Dustin Pedroia and a six point lead over Milton Bradley. Mauer can't sit on his laurels... Read More
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September 21, 9:34 AM

Manny Ramirez's angelic hitting helped propel the Dodgers to the top of the NL West.Photo: Icon SMI Manny Ramirez's batting average stands at .404 since his trade to the Dodgers. Statistics are reported for each league separately, so if Manny maintains... Read More
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Rays take command

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September 18, 8:48 AM

17 Sep 2008: Jason Bartlett congratulates Willy Aybar of the Rays after Aybar hit a home run that gave the Rays the lead in the first inning.Photo: Icon SMIThe Rays put an exclamation point on their championship season Wednesday night, mauling the Red... Read More
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