PBR - Joe Blanton allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings against Boston while the offense managed only three hits as the Red Sox shutout the Phillies 6-0 on Monday at Bright House Field in Clearwater.

Phillies Pitching: Blanton had an up-and-down outing against the Red Sox offense, striking out five batters and looking sharp with a nice breaking ball at times. But, he also allowed two home runs to Dustin Pedroia and Cody Ross in the loss ... Reliever Chad Qualls pitched a scoreless seventh inning, putting down the side in order and notching a strikeout ... Hector Neris pitched an impressive inning in relief as well, striking out two after coming in for Blanton.

Phillies Offense: The offense was flat, totaling just three hits and only four baserunners overall in the game ... John Mayberry went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts against Boston starter Jon Lester (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 10 K), dropping his average to .206 ... Freddy Galvis was 1-for-3 with a double in the losing effort.

Let's Review: In yesterday's game against the Orioles, Jim Thome was back playing at first base for five innings. Though he didn't have any balls hit his way in the field, he looked comfortable at his old spot on the diamond. At the plate, he crushed a two-run double and went 2-for-4 for the day. Thome was out of the lineup against the Red Sox, but you can expect him to play some at first base early in the season with Ryan Howard on the disabled list.

On Deck: The Phillies take on the Pirates tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. ET at Bright House Field. Cliff Lee is expected to take the mound for the start.

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