Because of the drawn-out nature of the playoffs and all the extra off days the Phillies headed into the postseason knowing they would only need to use a fourth starter twice, at most.
Game 4 of the NLDS is one of those times, and manager Charlie Manuel announced today that Joe Blanton will get the nod.
Game 1: Roy Halladay
Game 2: Roy Oswalt
Game 3: Cole Hamels
Game 4: Joe Blanton
Game 5: Roy Halladay
Game 6: Roy Oswalt
Game 7: Cole Hamels
Manuel left open the possibility that he could skip Blanton if the Phillies were down 0-3 or 1-2 going into Game 4, but that would involve short-rest starts and he’s shown a hesitancy to do that in the past regardless of the pitcher.
Blanton hasn’t started a game since September 29 and he’s obviously not in the same class as Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels, which has a certain segment of the Phillies fan base fretting about having to actually use someone other than The Big Three in a playoff game.
However, he went 6-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break, including beating the Giants with a solid outing in mid-August, and is 2-0 with a 3.89 ERA in 35 career playoff innings. Assuming he eventually wakes up from this nap, the Phillies will be just fine having to use a non-ace once in a seven-game series.
