Six weeks from today, the BlueClaws will open their 2009 season against the Delmarva Shorebirds. We’re 42 days away from baseball at the Shore, and 42 is the number of combined wins in the championship year of 2006 for the BlueClaws big three: Carlos Carrasco, Matt Maloney, and Josh Outman.

They combined to go 42-21 that year, with each finishing with a sub-3 ERA, putting them all in the top five in the South Atlantic League. Maloney was named pitcher of the year, having led the league in both wins and strikeouts. In the latter category, Outman was second and Carrasco third.

While some BlueClaws fans hoped that they would form a strong core, along with Cole Hamels, in the Phillies rotation beginning around this year or next, Outman and Maloney have since been traded, bringing back pieces that helped the Phillies make the playoffs in 2007 (Kyle Lohse, Maloney) and win the World Series in 2008 (Joe Blanton, Outman).

Outman started the Cactus League opener for the Athletics yesterday, throwing two shutout innings. He’s in the mix for the A’s fifth-starter job. (AP Photo)

“I want my command to settle in right away,” Outman said in the San Francisco Chronicle. “Bob Geren said what they’re looking for the pitchers to do is throw strikes, and that’s what I want to do. I know I can compete at this level, but throwing enough strikes has been an issue at times.”

Maloney is part of the battle for the fifth-starter job with the Reds, though appears to be a longshot.

Finally, Carrasco will pitch later today for the Phillies against Toronto in Clearwater as the Phillies fifth-starter competition gets underway.

Good luck to all three.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 10:31 am and is filed under 70 in 70, General Baseball, Past BlueClaws, Phillies, Spring Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.