Feb. 28 -- DAY 15: CARRASCO SURVIVES SCARE

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- So, about an hour before yesterday's game, I heard an incredible story about Carlos Carrasco, the Phillies' top prospect.

And it had nothing to do with pitching.

On Feb. 3, as he was preparing to come to spring training, Carrasco's family was robbed while a gun was pointed at his sister's head. Two men cased Carrasco's home in Venezuela and stole $7,000 in property, including a plasma TV and computer. After he threw a 10-pitch, scoreless eighth inning in the Phils' Grapefruit League-opener against the Reds, Carrasco talked about the frightening incident.

"They were watching me when I picked up my mom," Carrasco recalled through a translator. "When I came [home], they went in there. They told us that they will shoot us if we did anything. ... It's been tough to put that [aside]. My family is always going to come before baseball. That's why I want to do well, so I can get them out of there. ... I talk to my mom and have tears in my eyes. I feel I should be there helping out. This will make me want to do even better because I'm working for them."

After hearing Carrasco's story, I went over to the minor-league complex and talked with Sal Artiaga, the Phillies' director of Latin American operations. He said the Phillies will make Dr. Jose Goyos, an associate of employee assistance professional Dickie Noles, available to counsel Carrasco. Artiaga also said such crimes are common in Venezuela, where wealthy and prominent baseball players often are targets of thieves. Later, a Phillies minor-league catcher told me that many Venezuelan baseball stars, including Bobby Abreu, need to have body guards when they go back home.

Scary stuff, isn't it?

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Travis Blackley was under the impression that he'd be the third pitcher used by the Phillies yesterday. So, when he got the call that he would be replacing starter Jamie Moyer after the third inning, he rushed to get ready.

Just like a regular reliever.

Blackley is not a regular reliever. Throughout his seven-year pro career, he has been a starter, and other than a stint for a team in his native Australia when he shared the closer role with Atlanta's Peter Moylan, Blackley has no experience pitching out of the bullpen. But if he makes the Phillies out of spring training, it likely will be as a reliever. He passed his first test with flying colors yesterday, allowing one hit in three scoreless innings against the Reds and showing a deceptive pick-off move after Jay Bruce singled in the fifth inning.

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Ran out of real estate in the 50-center, but I wanted to mention that base coaches will wear helmets this year, as modeled here by Mike Schmidt. The new rule was passed after last season when minor-league first-base coach Mike Coolbaugh was killed after being struck by a line drive. Most of the coaches, including Phillies' third-base coach Steve Smith, aren't happy about the rule. And while, in theory, it's a good idea, Coolbaugh was hit in the neck, not the head. With no ear flaps on the coaches' helmets, I wonder how much protection they really will offer.

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Check out another photo gallery by Jennifer Corbett.

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(Updated, 9:30 a.m.): Today's lineup vs. the Pirates, hot off the presses: SS Jimmy Rollins, CF So Taguchi, 2B Chase Utley, 1B Ryan Howard, 3B Pedro Feliz, RF Geoff Jenkins, LF Jayson Werth, DH Greg Dobbs, C Carlos Ruiz. Kyle Kendrick will pitch for the Phillies today. Most interesting to me, though, is watching lefties Josh Outman and Joe Savery, the touted prospects who will follow Kendrick in the game.

Weather, by the way, is sunny, 46 degrees. Not very Florida-like.