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PHI@MIN: Blanton goes the distance, fans seven in win

After taking Tuesday's series opener from the Rockies, the Phillies will look to do something on Wednesday they haven't done in more than a month -- win a series at home.

The free-falling Phils dropped their last four series at Citizens Bank Park and haven't treated the hometown fans to a series triumph since taking a two-game set from the Astros on May 14-15.

On Wednesday they'll need Joe Blanton to duplicate the gem he turned in last week if they want to put an end to that extended skid.

On Thursday, Blanton snapped a streak of five starts in which he allowed five-plus runs, limiting the Twins to a single earned run in a complete-game victory. Even amid his struggles, he said he felt that solid start coming and expects even better ones in the near future.

"I felt like the last two [starts before last Thursday], I was getting close but not quite there, and kind of the same [against the Twins]," Blanton said. "It's not one of those where it was a quick fix and everything suddenly got better. It's been kind of trying a few different things and gradually getting a little more comfortable."

The Rockies, meanwhile, will be hoping Blanton reverts to his struggling ways as they look to break some skids of their own. Colorado needs to win the final two contests of this three-game set in order to capture its first road series victory since April 20-22, when it took two of three in Milwaukee.

Jim Tracy's club hasn't won any of its last eight road series, and the Rockies are just 1-11 in their last 12 games. On Wednesday they will call on right-hander Alex White, who is coming off his shortest outing of the season.

White lasted just four innings on Thursday, conceding four runs (two earned) off seven hits and four walks. A blister popped up on his right middle finger during the game, contributing to his early exit, but White insisted after the game that it was nothing to worry about.

"Everything's fine," White said. "Tracy was a little bit worried about it, but I'm not sure why they pulled me. I wanted to keep pitching, but things happen, and I can't change it."

Rockies: Gonzalez could return on Wednesday
Left fielder Carlos Gonzalez, who missed his second consecutive game on Tuesday with a strained left knee, could return to the lineup as soon as Wednesday.

Gonzalez was a late scratch before Sunday's game after sustaining the injury in Saturday's loss. Tracy said that Gonzalez was available to pinch-hit in the series opener, but the slugger never came off the bench in the 7-2 loss.

"He's still in day-to-day mode, and we'll have to wait and see how he reacts with regard to that knee," Tracy said. "Could he play [on Wednesday]? It's possible. ... But we just have to wait and see and take it on a day-to-day basis."

Gonzalez leads Colorado with a .335 average, 17 home runs, 51 RBIs and nine stolen bases.

Phillies: Injury front brings good, bad news
Although general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced on Tuesday that Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are all making progress in their rehab efforts, he also delivered some bad news regarding another trio of Phillies -- Laynce Nix, Mike Stutes and David Herndon.

Nix, out since May 10 with a strained left calf, was dealt a setback on Tuesday when he felt a pull in the injured calf while running the bases. He will have another MRI to check for further damage.

Stutes, meanwhile, hasn't seen much progression at all as he attempts to shake some inflammation in his right shoulder.

"He hasn't really progressed as we would have liked," Amaro said. "There may be a possibility of going in there and doing some type of exploratory surgery to see what's going on in there."

As for Herndon, he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Tuesday.

Worth noting
• The Phillies are 20-4 against the Rockies since the start of the 2009 season.

• Adding even more incentive for Gonzalez to return is the fact that he is 5-for-6 with two homers in his career against Blanton.

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