Danys Baez

In Friday night's series opener against the Florida Marlins, Roy Oswalt pitched four innings of no-hit baseball and looked magnificent. After allowing a solo home run to Logan Morrison to lead off the fifth inning, he still pitched well, allowing only one more run through six innings of work.

However, at the start of the seventh inning, something was wrong.

For Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Matt Anderson, being in Clearwater, Florida is a blessing.

A former flamethrower on the hill, arm injuries derailed Anderson's career before it even began. The former first overall draft pick was limited to far fewer appearances with the Detroit Tigers and Colorado Rockies than many would have expected when he was still a top prospect—long before he was considered one of the biggest draft busts of all time.

Remember Forrest Gump?  If he wasn't fictional, he would have a blast watching the Phillies. We are, "like a box of chocolates—you never know what you're gonna get." And that is the way it goes for Phillies fans.

Last night, Stay Puff Marshmallow Man, Blanton, delivered in innings two through five.  As expected he did not perform in the first or the sixth (Uncle Charlie, why did you not pull him after the fifth?) He allowed four runs on eight hits and four walk.

After the Philadelphia Phillies fell just short of repeating as World Series Champions, GM Ruben Amaro spent the offseason actively reshaping the club. 

Of course, the biggest news involved the tandem trades of Cy Young hurlers Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Beyond that, Amaro used the free agent talent pool to land a new regular third baseman and essentially perform a makeover on both his bullpen and bench. 

The Phils were desperate for one of two things before they left San Francisco: a win or a day off. They got both—just in time to settle down for a nine inning nap.

After last night’s 9-1 slaughter by the Mets, Charlie took the podium. Usually he recites the team stats, but last night he shifted his hat with a nervous smile and said, “Hey, does anyone have the phone number for Pedro Martinez?”

A big factor in the Philadelphia Phillies run to a World Series Championship in 2008 was their bullpen. Besides having a closer with an unblemished record when handed the ball to nail down a win, each member of the relief corps found success in a defined role.

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed Danys Baez to a two-year contract pending his physical, which is expected to take place next week.

Baez, 32, went 4-6 with a 4.02 earned run average in 59 relief appearances with the Baltimore Orioles last year.

The addition of Baez means that the Phillies will not re-sign Chan Ho Park as the right-handed Cuban will replace Park as a late inning reliever for Philadelphia.

Finally, the mystery is over. 

Eight days ago it was reported that the Phillies had come to terms with a bullpen pitcher, believed to be either Danys Baez or Mike MacDougal. 

Now we have learned that the Phillies have agreed to a two-year deal with Baez, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki and SI.com's Jon Heyman. 

It's no shock, seeing that the Phillies have long held interest in Baez, back to his days with Tampa Bay. 

For a bullpen that was in flux for much of last year, it will give the Phillies some stability at the back end of the game. 

With Christmas a couple of days away, Ruben Amaro Jr. has finished the majority of his shopping.

He signed Placido Polanco as his new third baseman, retooled the bench with Juan Castro, Ross Gload and Brian Schneider, and traded for Roy Halladay.

The only item left on Amaro's to-do list is to solidify a bullpen that blew 22 saves and had a 3.91 earned run average last year, which ranked ninth in the National League.