Phillies postponement sets up rotation options

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Saturday, April 16, 2011
Posted: 2:22 p.m.Updated: 4:06 p.m.
By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com

Cole Hamels will be on the mound Sunday when the Phillies close out a weather-shortened series with the Florida Marlins at 1:35 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.

Hamels had been scheduled to pitch Saturday night but that game was postponed because of rain. Hamels (1-1, 5.59) will oppose Florida righthander Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.97). The Phillies lefthander is coming off a strong start in which he pitched seven shutout innings at Atlanta last Sunday.

Sanchez is 3-7 with a 5.93 ERA in 11 career starts against the Phillies. He was 1-3 with a 6.36 ERA in four starts against the Phils last season.

Saturdays postponement will be made up as part of a separate admission doubleheader on June 15.

The postponement creates some pitching rotation options for the Phillies. They could skip struggling Joe Blantons turn and keep ace Roy Halladay on his regular day Monday, or they could stay in turn and push everyone back a day. If they stay in turn, Blanton would pitch Monday night against Milwaukee with Halladay going Tuesday night.

Staying in rotation would allow Phillies officials an extra day to evaluate the condition of Roy Oswalt, who left Friday nights game with tightness and spasms in the middle of his back. Depending on how he feels the next few days, Oswalt is scheduled to pitch again on Wednesday. Staying in rotation would push his next scheduled turn to Thursday at San Diego.

While some might be quick to suggest that the Phillies skip Blanton this time through the rotation, team officials might be reluctant to do that. The Phils are counting on Blanton to make 30 or more starts this seasonin other words, they are going to need himand the best way to get him going is to get him work. Skipping him this early in the season might wound his confidence.

Blanton has been hit hardopponents are batting .378in his first two starts. He has allowed 12 runs in 10 13 innings.

After his last outing, Blanton said he believed his problems stemmed from a mechanical flaw that was preventing him from getting the ball down in the strike zone when he pitched from the stretch. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said Blantons problem were more simple than that.

Hes throwing too many balls over the heart of the plate, Dubee said.

Blanton will try to correct that shortcoming in his next outing. The Phillies are expected to announce when that will be before Sundays game.

Milwaukee will send righthander Shaun Marcum (2-1, 2.55) to the mound Monday night. Lefties Randy Wolf (1-2, 4.32) and Chris Narveson (1-0, 1.45) will also work in the three-game series.

The Phils open a seven-game trip to San Diego and Arizona on Thursday.

E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com

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