It is fairly obvious from this picture that Jim didn't ground out here.: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

This series has been predicated on offense.  The Twins even knocked around one of the aces in the person of Cole Hamels and they REALLY teed off on resident feces thrower Kyle Kendrick.  Up steps Joe Blanton.  Joe has been going through a rough patch and by rough patch I mean that this has been the worst five start period of his career.  He threw a complete game and only a home run to Trevor Plouffe kept it from being a shutout.  I wonder what the odds were that Joe would lead this pitching staff in complete games?  If someone had money on that, they could probably buy an island.

For all Blanton’s heroics, in order to win a baseball game, someone on your team has to step on home plate. 

The Phillies have taken advantage of a terrible Minnesota starting rotation in this series, but tonight, they were saddled with the lone guy who has been throwing the ball well; Scott Diamond.  Diamond carried a 5-1 record with an ERA under two into the game.  The Phillies managed to score four runs off one him all of which came via the long ball.  Ty Wigginton started the scoring in the second and Jim Thome answered Trevor Plouffe’s solo blast with a three run shot in the third.  This series is turning the notion that Target field is a pitcher’s park directly on its ear.

The Twins never really threatened and the Phillies added a couple of late insureance runs on RBIs from Carlos Ruiz and Placido Polanco.  This was a really good 6-1 win.  No comebacks, no bullpens, no errors and most of all, no agnst.  Thank you for this one Joe.

The moment that everything seemed to come up Phillies in this one was when Joe Blanton wasn’t getting the holy hell kick out of him.  People talk about a “downward plane” on his fastball.  I am more interested in the other team not hitting the ball over the fence.  Joe allowed a home run, but kept the ball out of the middle of the plate and it was fairly evident from pitch one that Blanton was on today.

The most attractive play of the day was ANOTHER long home run from Jim Thome.  What the hell do they put in the Minnesota water?  During the horrendous postgame show, one of the talking heads informed us that Thome’s nine RBI in the three game series is a career high.  It sort of boggles the mind how a guy in his forties can still hit a ball that far.

The hero of the game is a shared honor between two guys that were mentioned previously; Joe Blanton and Jim Thome.  Joe just broke a tie with Kyle Kendrick as the team leader in complete games……seriously.  Thome can still emasculate pitchers by hitting the ball halfway to the damn moon. 

The villian of the game was Minnesota third baseman Trevor Plouffe.  He acconted for the only scoring for the Twins with another home run.  It can on an 0-2 pitch and was one of the few mistakes that Blanton made today.

The Milwaukee Brewers are the second best team in the National League and have been almost impossible to beat in Miller Park.  The Phillies started the series without Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the line-up marking the first time since the days of Jim Thome that one of the three has not been in the line-up.   (more…)