Joe Blanton held the Dodgers to two runs in eight innings and struck out seven in a victory Monday. If the Phillies had a legitimate setup man, Blanton probably would have come out after seven tonight. They don't, so he didn't, and all worked out in the end. Tonight's outing was the first in the last 12 in which Blanton didn't give up at least one homer. He is now 8-8 with a 4.79 ERA for the season.

Joe Blanton was hammered in a loss to the Braves on Saturday, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits over his 6 1/3 innings. He did manage to punch out six while walking just one, but was largely ineffective on the evening. Brian McCann got the scoring started with a solo blast in the second inning. After the Phillies offense staked him to a 3-1 lead after the 2nd, Blanton allowed one in the third, two more in the fourth and then a final pair before departing in the seventh inning. He's been nothing more than a solid innings eater of the first half of the season, posting a 7-8 record and unremarkable 4.98 ERA.

Joe Blanton was quality in Sunday's loss to the Marlins, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings of work. Blanton struck out seven, walked two and served up a solo home run to Giancarlo Stanton. Blanton has now allowed 19 home runs in just 104 innings this season. He'll bring a 4.85 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 89/15 K/BB ratio into his weekend start against the Braves at home.

Joe Blanton held down the Pirates Monday, limiting them to three runs - two earned - on seven hits and a walk over seven frames in the 8-3 win. He collected a season-high tying eight strikeouts. Blanton now sports a 4.87 ERA on the year, but it's come with a nice 1.24 WHIP. He'll get the Marlins this weekend.

Joe Blanton allowed five runs on six hits in seven innings of Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Rockies. Blanton struck out six and walked none in a no-decision. He also served up three home runs, meaning he's allowed 17 bombs in just 91 innings this season. Not good. He'll bring a 5.04 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 74/12 K/BB ratio into his Monday start against Pittsburgh.

Joe Blanton pitched masterfully against the Twins on Thursday, allowing just one run on seven hits over a complete game. Blanton racked up seven strikeouts and didn't walk a batter on the night. He commanded the strike zone beautifully the entire night and needed just 111 pitches to finish the game. The lone blemish on his evening was Trevor Plouffe's solo blast in the second inning. Coming into Thursday's start, Blanton had allowed four or more earned runs in each of his last four outings. He'll take a 6-6 record and 4.93 ERA with him next week when he battles the Rockies at home on Wednesday.

Joe Blanton allowed five runs on nine hits in six innings of Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Marlins. Blanton was actually relatively efficient through six innings of work, but allowed the first four batters he faced in the seventh inning to reach base. He was pulled without recording an out, and charged with three runs. After some strong pitching to end April and begin May, Blanton has now turned in four straight non-quality starts, allowing at least five runs every time out. He's a matchup play, and a poor one at that, in mixed leagues.

Joe Blanton was rocked for six runs on nine hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings in Tuesday's loss to the Mets. He surrendered a pair of longballs and also hit a batter. Blanton has now been lit up for three straight starts, pushing his ERA from 2.96 all the way up to 5.05. He'll try for better results next week against the Dodgers.

Joe Blanton was hammered by the Cardinals on Thursday, allowing seven runs on ten hits in just 4 1/3 innings of work. Blanton punched out five and walked one in the game. Home runs from Matt Holliday and David Freese contributed to the damage and chased Blanton from the game in the fifth inning. He remains at 4-4 on the season with an inflated 4.55 ERA. He'll hope for better results when he squares off against the Mets in New York on Tuesday.

Joe Blanton recorded his first shutout since 2007 with a three-hitter Thursday against the Braves. The Braves managed 15 runs against Roy Halladay and company on Wednesday and then settled for three singles against Blanton today. Blanton walked none and faced just two batters over the minimum in his third career shutout. He hadn't even pitched a complete game in five years. Don't look at this as a sign of things to come, but there's no reason he can't be a pretty good NL-only pitcher this season.