Blanton Moved to the DL, Vance Worley Will Start in His Place
By: Mike Reisman
This afternoon the Phillies moved 5th (ace) starter Joe Blanton to the disabled list with right elbow impingement. Blanton had been scheduled to start tomorrow against the Mets to start their three game series. The Phillies have called up the 23 year old Vance Worley from triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace big Joe and to start tomorrow.
Blanton was the only starter without a win so far, and he posted a miserable 5.92 ERA. Worley has put up an ERA of 2.78 with Lehigh Valley, going 2-2 in four starts, including a complete game. Worley is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA in five career major league games, two of which are starts.
With Blanton now out for two, maybe three starts, it would seem natural for Phillies fans to be worried, however, I doubt that is the feeling this move will provoke. The way Blanton has pitched so far this year, Vance Worley seems almost like an upgrade, especially if he can reproduce the success he had in his short stint with the team last year. If Worley can pitch well, the Phillies may even attempt to trade Blanton in order to keep the younger, cheaper rookie in rotation. Basically put, this injury has the potential to be a very good thing for the Phillies.