Phillies pound the Indians behind Blanton

By pitching strongly into the eighth inning Thursday, even if it was against the woeful Cleveland Indians, Joe Blanton likely alleviated any anxieties the Phillies might have about their rotation.

J.A. Happ has yet to show he's ready to contribute again at the major-league level, and Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick can be unreliable despite their successes.

With Blanton on the mound, however, the Phillies won, 12-3, capping a three-game sweep of the Indians. They have won seven of 10 games and are regaining the confidence they had the last two seasons.

Not that it ever went away, rightfielder Jayson Werth said.

"The guys in this clubhouse are pretty much the same," said Werth, who was 3 for 4 with two RBIs. "Some people need to remember who the guys were that got us to where we were. Just have a little more faith in us, stick with us."

Blanton is a prime example of that. He had a rocky start in 2009 as well, but finished with 12 wins and a 4.05 ERA. Down the stretch, he was one of the team's most reliable pitchers.

On Thursday, just as many of his teammates have done recently, Blanton turned his 2010 season in the right direction. He made his longest start of the season and the most encouraging. In 72/3 innings, he allowed three runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out eight.

Blanton was forced out of the game when a severe thunderstorm swept through Citizens Bank Park, causing a 97-minute rain delay.

"My command has been better than it has been in a while," Blanton said. "I feel like it's progressing a little bit each start."

He entered Thursday's game with a 6.96 ERA and a disappointing 2-5 record. But in between his starts against Boston and Minnesota in the middle of the month, Blanton figured out what was wrong with his mechanics.

"I just created such bad muscle memory that doing it right felt wrong," Blanton said.

His sinker was high in the zone, making it a flat and ineffective pitch. He changed some mechanics to achieve the correct angle. Blanton pitched well against the Twins, repeated the mechanical change constantly in between starts, and did even better against Cleveland.

"He had good command," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

Having been through a slow start before, Blanton said he didn't panic.

"It gives you the peace of mind that I've been here and had bad times before," he said. "It just happens to be at the start. I know I can come out of it and be a productive pitcher."

It helped that the offense staked Blanton to a 5-0 lead after the second inning. Werth, who is hitting .395 in his last 12 games, has been especially impressive of late. He watched video from last season when he hit a home run with an open stance and decided to do the same thing now.

"It got me out of my, whatever I was in," Werth said. "I just changed things up. I've done that in the past."

Just like Blanton has corrected his problems before. After a four-start stretch in which Blanton allowed 23 earned runs in 201/3 innings (a 10.18 ERA), the righthander has given up six runs in his last 132/3 innings (a 3.95 ERA).

If Blanton can maintain those numbers, the Phillies will be plenty satisfied.

"As a whole in the clubhouse," Blanton said, "we like the way we're playing right now."