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MIA@CIN: Buehrle hurls six frames of two-run ball

Mark Buehrle made his fair share of cold-weather starts during his 12 seasons with the White Sox, but that doesn't mean he's comfortable pitching in the sub-50-degree climate the Marlins and Phillies will play in as they wrap up their three-game series in Philadelphia.

Buehrle will be looking for a series win as he faces the Phillies and right-hander Joe Blanton at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday night, but the projected 40-degree weather isn't exactly to his liking.

"I'd always rather throw when it's hot and sweaty and come off the field after an inning or two when you're actually sweating," Buehrle said. "I'll have to come up here in the clubhouse and try to stay warm between innings."

Back in Chicago, Buehrle said, they had heaters in the dugout. If not, he'd go into the clubhouse or find a bike -- anything to stay warm, really.

He might break a sweat just facing the Phillies' lineup if they hit the way they did Wednesday night, when they forced Marlins ace Josh Johnson out of the game after just 3 2/3 innings. After a slow start offensively, Philadelphia -- still without two of its top hitters in Chase Utley and Ryan Howard -- tagged Johnson for six runs on 11 hits.

"Right now they don't have their two studs in there," Buehrle said. "It's probably going to be a different lineup now than it is going to be at the end of the year. ... They still have guys who can hurt you. When you're missing your two big hitters like that, you obviously try to take as much advantage as you can early in the season."

Blanton, meanwhile, will try to follow up Roy Halladay's excellent start. Blanton wasn't initially scheduled to pitch until April 15, the first time the Phillies would need their fifth starter, but pitching coach Rich Dubee said they didn't want to wait that long to get Blanton back on the mound.

Coming off an injury-riddled season in 2011, the right-hander made his 2012 debut by throwing two-thirds of an inning in relief in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Pirates. Blanton gave up two hits and the game-winning run while pitching in the 10th inning.

Blanton will look to put that outing -- and his disappointing 2011 season -- behind him when he makes his first start of the season, instead focusing on becoming the durable innings-eater he had previously been.

"I have a body of work from the past that kind of speaks a little bit," Blanton said earlier this spring. "But what I've done in the past is mostly been a guy who stays healthy and throws a lot of innings. That kind of didn't happen last year. So I do have to prove I can get back to that form and do it again. Like I said, I'm confident I can do it, and I don't think I'm going to have any flare-ups from last year or anything. Hopefully I'll be better than I've been in years. That's what I'm hoping."

Marlins: Stanton back in lineup, concerned about knee pain
• Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-4 in his return to the Marlins' lineup Wednesday night. He was scratched from Monday's game due to pain in his left knee, and a trip to see Phillies physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti ended with both good and bad news.

The good news, Stanton said, is that there is no specific injury -- his ligaments are fine. The bad news, however, is that it could becoming a lingering issue. He missed time in Spring Training due to left knee inflammation, and it became a problem once again when the team arrived in Philadelphia.

"It's pretty moderate. It's something that's obviously not going to get much better by playing every day," Stanton said. "It's something that you have to kind of deal with, gauge the pain and deal with what you've got."

• Shortstop Jose Reyes' 13-game hitting streak dating back to last season ended Wednesday, when he went 0-for-4. He finished the 2011 season on an eight-game hitting streak and continued that by recording a hit in each of Miami's first five games. The Marlins managed only five hits on the night, all of which came off Halladay.

Phillies: Howard, Utley continue rehab
• General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. provided updates on his two injured stars Wednesday afternoon, but the club still has no timetable for when either will return to the Phillies' lineup.

Amaro said Howard's left Achilles is "doing great," but he still has a wound on his left heel, which became infected following surgery. The first baseman is fielding ground balls but not running or hitting. The club will discuss the injury with wound specialists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Utley is still rehabbing in Arizona, and Amaro said Utley's left knee has improved. The second baseman was unable to work on his strength during Spring Training due to his chronic knee problems. The Phillies should know more about his progression when they see him during their upcoming road trip through San Francisco, San Diego and Arizona.

"Our goal is try to get both of these guys to the point where they're on rehab [assignments] and playing, so we can assess what we're going to get out of them," Amaro said. "But until that happens, we won't know what kind of players they'll be until they're out here playing."

• Reliever Chad Qualls, who was unable to pitch Sunday in Pittsburgh due to pain in his right heel, said he was feeling better Wednesday, and showed it by throwing a perfect eighth inning in Philadelphia's 7-1 win.

Worth noting
• Blanton only pitched against the Marlins once last season, picking up a win despite giving up three runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings, but his career numbers are generally impressive against the National League East rival: a 6-2 record, 3.33 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 54 innings.

• Buehrle last faced the Phillies on Aug. 30, 2004, at U.S. Cellular Field. He is 3-0 with a 5.06 ERA lifetime against Philadelphia. His only career start at Citizens Bank Park was a good one, however, as he allowed one run on six hits while striking out five over 8 1/3 innings on June 20, 2002.

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