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Remember Antonio Bastardo? I told you about him when he made his Major League debut against the Padres last week, not to mention their ace hurler Jake Peavy. We won that complimentary release. We’ll win this one too with him making his nationally televised debut.

The southpaw took Brett Myers’ spot in the rotation, and looked good in his debut, allowing just one earned run in six frames at pitcher-friendly PETCO Park. He arrived in the rotation after stints at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Remember, he was the one strikeout-to-walk ratio was slightly better than 5-to-1, as he fanned 51 and walked just 10 in the minors. In his MLB-debut, the 23-year-old struck out five and walked just one … isn’t that something?

Bastardo, who was 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 11 games with the aforementioned minor-league teams, is a hard-throwing lefty who likes to announce his stuff right down the pipe and isn’t afraid to challenge batters. He’s been likened to Johan Santana and has received the most hype this organization has bestowed upon a youngster since Cole Hamels donned his first uniform.

He throws a straight-away fastball and reverts to a changeup when needed. He keeps his heater in the low 90s, and it’s his deceptive delivery that makes his fastball look even faster. His arm speed makes the changeup much more effective, as its his out pitch. He also has a slider and utilizes his breaking ball mid-count.

Once again we’re going to find value with this kid, as we play the road pup on ESPN tonight.

1♦ PHILLIES (LIST BASTARDO)

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