Aug. 3 -- JOLTIN' JOE BLANTON

ST. LOUIS -- So, that's why the Phillies traded for Joe Blanton.

If you didn't see last night's game, well, you missed a gem by Blanton, who provided the sort of down-the-stretch jolt that the Phillies believed he could give them when they acquired him 20 days ago for three prospects, including touted second baseman Adrian Cardenas. Blanton blanked the Cardinals for six innings before allowing a solo homer to Ryan Ludwick in the seventh. He scattered four hits, struck out five (all looking), and most important, completed the seventh inning, relieving some of the stress on the bullpen.

To me, though, Blanton's biggest moment came in the third inning. With two on, one out and the Phillies leading 1-0 (Greg Dobbs had homered in the previous half-inning), Blanton struck out Joe Mather. That brought Albert Pujols, arguably baseball's most dangerous hitter, to the plate, and Blanton attacked him thusly:

76-mph curveball, low and outside -- ball one
74-mph curveball, belt-high, outside corner -- strike one
90-mph fastball, belt-high, middle of the plate -- fouled off, strike two
91-mph fastball, at the knees and outside -- ball two
85-mph changeup, low -- ball three
85-mph slider, belt-high, inside corner -- called strike three

"The way the at-bat set up, there was no doubt in my mind that was the right pitch," catcher Chris Coste said of the nasty slider. "If you've got a good one, that front-door slider is one of the best pitches in baseball. The ball starts in, and as a hitter you give up on it.

"That's one benefit of being able to throw four pitches at any time. As good as Pujols is, [Blanton] threw every pitch in the book to both sides [of the plate]. That made it so easy for me."

And so encouraging for the Phillies.

***
Within the notebook, there's more on Carlos Carrasco's promotion to triple-A Lehigh Valley. Carrasco will make his debut tonight against Rochester at Coca Cola Park in Allentown. Also, Rudy Seanez doubts he'll be sidelined for more than two weeks, and we introduce you to Les Walrond.

***
In our Sunday MLB notes, the Red Sox were so tired of Manny Ramirez's act that they traded him, and two other major leaguers, and $7 million -- all for Jason Bay. Charlie Manuel thinks Manny will be Manny in LA, and wouldn't have minded seeing Manny be Manny in Philly.

Enjoy your Sunday, everyone.