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Inside the Phillies clubhouse he's called "Bam-Bam," a reference to his resemblance to the Flintstones character.
Yankees fans, forgiving sorts that they are, might be tempted to call Phillies' Game 4 starter Joe Blanton "Slam Bam," considering the success their heroes have had against the right-hander in his career.
Success to the tune of a 3-0 record in four career starts and an ERA of 8.18.
Of course, those numbers were compiled while the portly hurler was pitching for the Oakland A's. And everyone knows that Blanton has been a different pitcher since coming to Philadelphia in a trade in the summer of 2008.
"Yeah, not only did he pitch a good game in the World Series [against Tampa Bay], he had a good postseason for us," Manuel said Saturday afternoon when he spoke of his decision to start Blanton tonight and give Game 1 winner Cliff Lee an extra days' rest.
"Blanton has definitely been one of our consistent pitchers this year. He'll use all of his pitches and he can make adjustments. On nights that he doesn't have his good fastball he can make adjustments and throw his slider, change-up, curveball.
"The big thing about him is getting back to his control and his command. He's got a tremendous feel for pitching, and he's very gutty. He's a competitor and he can make adjustments with his pitches. That's what makes him good."
Blanton agreed, and that's why, he said, he doesn't study video of opposing hitters. Instead, he'll rely on experience and instincts. And on his catcher, as well.
"I go off feel a lot," he said. "I have a lot of trust in my catcher, whoever that is. I mean, they're out there every day. They're out there studying the hitters. They're the ones behind the plate and they've already caught X amount of pitches before I've even thrown. They've seen what the guys can do. We have very good catchers here, so I put a lot of trust in them."
Much of that trust resides in Carlos Ruiz, the Phils' primary backstop. Ruiz came into his own this season both defensively and at the dish and the Phils' hurlers have noticed.
"He does a fabulous job, we all know that as a staff, from relievers to starters," Blanton said. "He gives you a lot of confidence out there; his game-calling ability is great. His blocking [ability] gives you that comfort. I've got a runner on and I can still throw this breaking ball in the dirt when I'm ahead in the count. He's going to block [the pitch in the dirt], it's not going to go behind him and [have] runners move up. That's a huge cushion for you when you're pitching."
What also serves as a cushion is the experience of pitching in pressurized games, experience Blanton gained last October in the Phils' run to a world title.
"It's a big game but it's another game," he said. "You've been in that atmosphere, you've been in that big-game situation and you can just kind of draw back and keep your emotions in check."
Not the easiest thing to do, especially when you're talking about the World Series and that storied team from the South Bronx.
"Yeah, it's fun to go out and pitch those games," Blanton admitted. "That's what we play for, to have a chance to go out and play in those games. Ultimately, what you play for all year and get yourself ready for all year is to be able to perform in those situations. That's what makes the game fun.
"Years down the road, when you're done playing, you can look back on it and really relish the situation, kind of sit back and think about what you've done and really appreciate it."
He'll look to make another such memory tonight.
egruver@lnpnews.com
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