Joe Blanton works on changing speeds, shuts down Tigers to lead Phillies to 4-0 victory

Blanton shuts down Tigers in Phillies’ 4-0 victory

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Joe Blanton used a mix of fastballs and changeups to shut down the Detroit Tigers, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 4-0 victory Thursday.

Blanton has focused solely on the fastball-changeup combination in his first two spring starts before he incorporates breaking pitches into his repertoire. So far the results have been promising: Blanton held the Tigers to three singles in four innings of work.

After Blanton exited, David Herndon, Joe Savery, Yohan Flande and Scott Mathieson combined for five no-hit innings. Mathieson, who is attempting to make the team after two Tommy John surgeries, struck out two batters to finish off the Tigers in the ninth.