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MIA@PHI: Blanton strikes out six over six frames

At the start of the season, it wouldn't have come as much of a surprise if Friday's Interleague matchup between the Orioles and Phillies pitted one team well above .500 and hovering around first place in its division against another sitting in last place, under the .500 mark.

But fans probably thought the roles would have been reversed as the teams entered a three-game set.

The Phillies enter this clash fresh off a four-game sweep at the hands of the Dodgers that dropped them to 28-31, further into the NL East cellar, six games back of the division-leading Nationals. Philadelphia has lost a season-high six games in a row.

Baltimore was shut out by the Red Sox on Thursday, but sit seven games above .500 in the competitive American League East.

"Everything about our team is kind of whacked up," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said after Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers. "I feel like what's going wrong, sooner or later, it's going to be like the stock market and bottom out somewhere. We'll start working from there. Hopefully that was tonight."

Philadelphia hopes to put an end to the streak Friday when it turns to right-hander Joe Blanton, who has had his own struggles lately. Blanton is 0-3 in his last four starts with a 10.90 ERA, allowing at least five earned runs in each trip to the mound.

"You never want to give up five runs, but I felt like it was a huge improvement over the way I threw the last two or three times," Blanton said after allowing five runs off nine hits in six innings against the Marlins his last time out. "Even though the results don't look much better, I felt like it was a lot better."

The Orioles recently put a six-game losing streak behind them and have responded by winning three of their last five since snapping the skid on Saturday. Starter Jake Arrieta, however, will be in a similar boat as Blanton as he tries to snap out of a lengthy skid.

Arrieta has taken the loss in three consecutive outings and is 0-5 in his last six. In those five losses, Arrieta has posted a combined 9.65 ERA and has made it through the fifth inning just twice. He allowed four runs on just two hits -- but four walks -- in 4 2/3 innings his last time out.

"I'm still searching for it, still searching for that consistency every time I go out," Arrieta said after his last outing. "Right now, it's not there, and I've got to put that behind me and continue to move forward. Because if I don't, it's going to get to me and it could continue to snowball."

Phillies: Polanco plagued by sore wrist
Placido Polanco missed his second straight game Thursday and is unlikely to play Friday as he continues to deal with a cut on his left index finger and a sore wrist on the same hand.

The Phillies' third baseman sustained both injuries when he was spiked on a play at third base Tuesday night against the Dodgers. Catcher Matt Treanor's spikes cut Polanco's finger and the impact of the slide also jammed Polanco's wrist.

"I feel good today," Polanco said before Thursday's loss. "We'll see."

Polanco added that he is unable to swing a bat without discomfort right now, and while he may need a couple days to recover, he insisted he will not need a stint on the disabled list.

Orioles: Veteran Moyer getting an audition
Arrieta might have some added incentive in his attempt to get back on track Friday night after the Orioles signed veteran Jamie Moyer to a Minor League contract on Wednesday.

Moyer, who was designated for assignment by the Rockies last week and then cleared waivers, will start for Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday in Buffalo. The plan for now is to have Moyer make a few Minor League starts to gauge what type of contributions, if any, he could make to the big league club.

"He's not that far removed from [Tommy John] surgery, so there's a chance that he will regain his previous form by continuing to pitch," said executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. "A lot of veteran pitchers, sometimes it takes a little bit longer to get into length of the season until they come around. So we will see if that's the case with Jamie. He has won a lot of games, is a good role model and has had some success."

Worth noting
• Current Orioles players, excluding pitchers, are hitting a collective .419 (18-for-43) in their careers against Blanton.

• The Orioles lead the all-time regular-season series against the Phillies, 24-21, since the introduction of Interleague Play in 1997.

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