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Saturday, August 4, 2012

2009 Upper Deck First Edition #225 Joe Blanton

Braves 2, Phillies 1 
Game 101 - Saturday Night, July 28th in Atlanta 
Record - 45-56, 5th Place, 15 1/2 games behind the Nationals 

Another Massive, Vacation-Related Catch-Up, Part 1 of 7

One Sentence Summary:  The punchless Phillies lost the second game of a crucial series, all but guaranteeing that they'd be sellers at the upcoming non-waiver trade deadline.

What It Means:  Crap.  That's the season, folks.  Sure, they still have a chance mathematically, but it's hard to imagine the Phillies coming back and playing baseball in October at this point.  Following this loss, they were 11 1/2 games behind the Wild Card leaders.

What Went Wrong:  Joe Blanton, rumored to be moving on to the Orioles, pitched well, giving up only two runs in seven innings. The Phillies managed just four hits against Braves starter Mike Minor and closer Craig Kimbrel.

Featured Card:  We didn't realize it at the time, but this would be Kentucky Joe's final game as a Phillie.   A few days following the non-waiver trade deadline, Blanton was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers and shipped to L.A. for either cash or a player to be named later.  I'll always be grateful for the stabilizing force Blanton provided within the starting rotation in the second half of 2008 and I'll never forget the home run he hit in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series.

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