Blanton set to make season debut in Game 1 of Phils Cards showdown

Tonight at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies are anticipating the first start of Joe "The Lumber" Blanton, who had missed the first month of the season with a strained oblique. Blanton has to be a sign of relief for Phils fans across the region, as the first place Phils have had a shaky at best bullpen and even shakier starting rotation, save for The Best Pitcher Alive-something that we can fight through in the beginning of the season, but a lack of consistent pitching can only lead to one place, and I think that place has a lot more in common with 2009 than 2008. And that's on top of an offense, except for last night's annihilation of the Mutts souls/spot in the division, has sputtered since J-Roll has been out.

The Cardinals, led by superstars Matt Holiday and Albert Pujols, are often mentioned as one of the few threats to dethrone The Fightins in the NL, and these next four games should give us some indication of whether or not the NL has started to catch up to Ryan, Chase, & Co. The Cards starter tonight is one Jaime Garcia, who is 2-1 with a 1.04 ERA.

Despite being so early in the season, last night's game really seemed like something which could propel the Phils into a hot streak-getting first place back, battling despite being down early, and a crowd which hadn't been so loud since last October. I expect to see more fireworks tonight, especially from The Big Man - you know in private he must be at least slightly annoyed at all the subtle shots taken at him in the media, with their constant dismissal of Howard's accomplishments in comparison to Pujols.

Get 'em boys.