Prepare to see a paparazzi-level swarm of cameras descend on Clearwater tomorrow when the Phillies Phour Aces plus Joker Joe have their first official presser together. It will be the first of many for the four All-Star pitchers. And, the cameras will be there to capture and document the entire season. Just look at today’s Twitter feeds if you doubt that.

Cliff Lee's addition to the Phillies rotation puts the team's starters in unseen territory.

Never has a rotation of this caliber been assembled together at one time. Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz and Millwood came close. Then again, Millwood was as good as Joe Blanton and he’s our fifth guy, not the fourth.

The second the ink dried on Cliff Lee’s contract in December, Philly had a group that would get as much attention in the baseball world as the Beatles received in the music industry. Wherever the Phillies go this season, the local media and fans will be waiting to see this rotation. Once ever five days you will not see an ace.

The Phillies home games are practically all sold out except for three and six game plans. The road games are likely close to sell outs as well. Pure baseball fans want to see this rotation and be a part of what appears to be a magical season on the outside. Of course, they players have to go out and perform.

And when they do, the cameras will be there every step of the way.

We’re like kids on Christmas Eve day waiting for Santa to come so we can unwrap the gifts bought weeks earlier. Only, Ruben Amaro is Santa, and Charlie Manuel is his not-so-small elf.

In just a few short long hours, our gift will be unwrapped. The best starting rotation this side of an all-star squad will take to the mound at Bright House Field at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater.

In honor of the Phour Aces and Joker Joe (and that’s not a slight as everyone wants the joker in poker), here’s an abridged version of Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Phillies fans are ready to unwrap the gift Ruben Amaro delivered this Halladay Season.

Twas the Night Before our Cliffmas Halladay

Twas the night before Spring Training
When all throughout Philly
Not a pitcher was stirring
Not Oswalt, Hamels, Halladay or even Cliff Lee.

The jerseys were hung in the lockers with care,
In hopes that the Phour Aces soon would be there;
Phillies fans were lying all snug in their beds
With visions of 20-game winners dancing in their heads.

And Ruben with his cell, and Charlie in his cap,
Had just awoken from a long winter’s nap,
When out on the mound there was the core,
a rotation made for Mt. Rushmore.

Away to the plate balls flew like a flash,
The Phillies have indeed learned how to spend their cash.
The cameras were ready to capture The Show
and include the fifth guy named Kentucky Joe

While Kyle Kendrick shed a few tears,
the fans erupted and chugged their beers.
Yes, this rotation is ready to beast.
As the Phillies again take the NL East.

But don’t dare think this is just a charade,
It don’t mean a thing without another parade!

He’s not an ace. That’s really the only thing Joe Blanton has done to deserve being dropped to “the other guy that nobody cares about.” He’s the joker in the deck of cards that is the Phillies pitching staff. And, now, he’s a laughing stock to some because the Phour Aces are requiring he be included in any group pictures or stories.

Man, has this dude fallen into obscurity.

Kentucky Joe Blanton has gne from solid World Series champ to an afterhtought and whipping boy.

Two years ago, Blanton was a solid No. 3 and a key contributor to a certain mega traffic jam along Broad Street. Today, he’s not Hamels, Halladay, Oswalt or some dude named Cliff Lee. He’s not a Cy Young or All-Star candidate. That’s his crime.

He’ll never be confused with an ace, or even a No. 2 guy. Is he a legit No. 3, a clutch 4 and a superstar 5? You bet.

In the 2008 postseason, Kentucky Joe was 2-0 with a solid 3.18 ERA in three starts. He struck out 18 while walking just 6. Great numbers? No. But, he was solid en route to winning a championship.

The last two seasons, he’s posted 4.02 and 4.85 ERAs. A little high, but keep in mind Blanton got better once he recovered from an injury that started his season.

However, he’s an innings eater who saves the bullpen. He’s averaged 6.25 innings per outing the last two years. So, that leaves the 7, 8 and 9 innings. That’s pretty much exactly what you want from a 3 or 4, and absolutely from a No. 5.

If the Phillies don’t land Oswalt and Lee, people are fine having him in our rotation. Now, they want him shipped out for a case of rosin bags.

In a season of ups and down, one thing has remained consistent — the Phillies are money against the NL West. Following a three-game sweep of the NL’s best team, the Padres, the Phils are 19-9 against NL West squads.

Granted, the team still can’t hit and they have to beat the other ten teams in the NL, but this weekend’s series in sunny San Diego just adds to the craziness that is the 2010 Phils.

A week ago, if someone said the Phils would sweep one series and get swept one series, you’d have assumed the Astros would have gotten beaten with a broom and then the Pads would take us behind the wood shed.

You know what they say, “if you assume…”

Consider me an ass, then.

However, don’t get too excited just yet. The Phillies won swept this series with stud pitching and a Jimmy Rollins slide out of the Houdini files. The bottom line is, they’re still not hitting or scoring runs the way a team with championship aspirations needs to.

despite a sweep of the Padres, the Phillies need more consistency at the plate.

In 30 innings against the Padres, the Phillies managed 11 runs on just 17 hits. Are you kidding me? A total of 17 hits in three games, including an extra three innings of free baseball? Take away the nine hits from Friday’s twelve inning affair and the Phillies have just eight hits in two games. Somehow, they managed to score eight runs on those eight hits.

Pitching has kept the Phillies in the games. As poor as the Phillies did in producing runs, the Padres were even worse. They managed just three runs the entire series — and one of those was scored on a damn balk in the ninth inning. But, let’s not rehash that wound that Rollins put a band-aid on.

Cole Hamels was money again on Sunday, allowing just four hits and no runs in eight innings of the Phillies 5-0 win over San Diego.

On Sunday, Cole Hamels continued his second half dominance in pitching eight innings, scattering four hits, striking out six and walking none. Joe Blanton went six innings on Saturday, surrendering just one run on six hits. On Friday, Roy Oswalt allowed one run on five hits in eight innings. He also struck out six and walked none.

The bullpen was just as impressive, allowing just one run in five innings of work. Of course, the only run was on Brad Lidge’s balk in the ninth inning Friday that tied the game.

On one hand, you have to like the way the Phillies pitchers are performing. This reminds you of the team that won the World Series in 2008. Pitching, not hitting, won that championship. Having said that, the Phillies have to be able to hit better than they are now.

Does the team need ten runs a game? Not even close. Would an average of four to five runs a game be too much to ask for though?

Of course, a win is a win and you have to like the way the team bounced back after losing four at home to the Houston Phillies Astros.

The Phillies went from .5 game behind San Francisco to 1.5 ahead in the Wild Card race. And, they picked up a game on the Braves in the NL East as they now sit just two games back.

19-9

Time to play a little Jeopardy. The answer: Starting pitching depth. The question: What is the area atop Ruben Amaro’s wish list a week ago?

Fast forward to Tuesday when Placido Polanco and Chase Utley were placed on the DL. Combine that with Jimmy Rollins calf that’s landed him on the DL twice this year and suddenly, Amaro is likely scouring MLB rosters for infielders, especially if Utley is out for more than a couple of weeks.

With a lack of depth in the minors, the Phillies will likely be able to address one area. Right now, that would have to be the infield.

If the team can’t address starting pitching in the trade market and is looking to add depth behind Doc Halladay and Cole Hamels, could this bring back the rumors of Pedro Martinez’s return?

It makes sense.

Could the injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco speed up the Phillies pursuit of Pedro Martinez?

Think about it, the Phillies have a nice 1-2 combo in Halladay and Hamels right now. The three through five spots in the rotation are question marks. Joe Blanton and JA Happ have spent time rehabbing injuries this year, and neither appears to be ready to start playoff games right now.

Blanton has pitched well his last two games entering Tuesday’s game against the Reds. Happ hasn’t regained his velocity at this point. The Phillies need at least one of those two to step up and be solid No. 3 or 4 pitchers.

Jamie Moyer has been unreal, but can he keep it up? Kyle Kendrick has been marked by inconsistency.

The bottom line is the Phillies could be solid if Blanton and Happ regain their form, and Moyer continues being Superman. But, you can’t bank on that. You need a veteran arm to provide security and step in should one or more of them falter.

Pedro knows this team, this city, these fans and what’s at stake. He showed last year he can still be effective, especially if he comes in fresh without going through the rigors of a full season.

If Utley is out for an extended period of time, look for Pedro to be back in red pinstripes soon. It just makes too much sense right now.

Maybe the debacle in Boston wasn’t such a bad thing. Jamie Moyer has bounced back in his last two starts following the Boston Massacre. Now, Joe Blanton has done the same and could be making a case to keep his starting spot away from Kyle Kendrick if JA Happ returns from the DL or Pedro returns to South Philly.

Joe Blanton is making progress in his return from the DL. He racked up his second straight quality start on Thursday.

Kentucky Joe, once a consistent innings eater for the Phillies, had a 2009-Brad-Lidge-like 7.28 ERA. He’s lowered that to 6.53 with consecutive quality starts, including a 7.2 inning outing on Thursday that completed a Phils sweep of the lowly Cleveland Indians. Blanton allowed three runs on six hits while punching out eight batters as the Phillies torched the Indians, 12-3.

This follows a six inning, three run outing on June 18 against Minnesota.

Blanton is far from back to being the No. 3 pitcher in the Phillies rotation. But, it’s nice to see progress from a guy who’s been crucial to the Phillies winning back-to-back NL crowns. It’s especially important for Blanton to step up and take control of the third spot if JA Happ can’t return from the DL soon.

Kentucky Joe will look to capture his third straight win next Tuesday at first-place Cincinnati.

Coming back from two DL stints thanks to a nagging calf injury, playing Rollins in a day game with temperatures approaching 100 degrees wouldn’t be wise. Being dehydrated is one thing that can lead to pulling muscles. No matter how much water one drinks today, your body will need more instantaneously.

Jimmy Rollins gets the day off after his game-winning, walkoff home run on Wednesday night.

Rollins is just 1-for-9 since his return Tuesday night, but that one hit was a game-winning, two-run home run Wednesday night. More importantly, the Phillies have won both games since JRoll came back, and they are 10-3 with him this season.

So far, having JRoll on the bench hasn’t hurt the Phillies who jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. Now, if Joe Blanton can just hold onto hat lead.

And, if not, Rollins is always there as a pinch hitter. Just sayin’….

Maybe it was the impending return of JA Happ. Maybe it was the impressive outings by Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick. Maybe it was the rumors of Pedro’s return to Citizen’s Bank Park for another postseason run.

Doesn’t matter what it was, but something sure lit a fire under Kentucky Joe Blanton’s right arm on Friday night as he pitched the Phillies to a 9-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. Blanton registered his first quality start in what seems like forever, going six strong innings and giving up three runs on seven hits. It was the first time since May 20 that he allowed under four runs, and just the third time all season.

Joe Blanton come out throwing strikes for the Phillies on Friday. Phils fans have been waiting a long time for an outing like that from one of their innings-eater.

An innings eater who never really wowed anyone but was a solid No. 3 pitcher on a championship staff, and a great No. 4, Blanton has been hampered with the injury bug and gotten hammered since returning from the DL. His performance Friday dropped his ERA to 6.96. Enough said.

Blanton, whose spot in the rotation has been anything but a sure thing recently, came out and held the Twins, a first place team, scoreless for five innings before allowing a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Granted, it’s just one game, but it’s a start that people have been waiting for all year from Kentucky Joe. At least now he’s put himself back in the mix of keeping his starting spot when Happ comes back.

For Kentucky Joe Blanton, the sands are sprinting through the hour glass quicker than Usain Bolt on a track. With JA Happ scheduled to get his first rehab start since going on the DL tomorrow, time is running out for Blanton to reestablish himself as a stone cold lock to remain in the Phillies starting rotation.

Let’s face it, Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer, Friday’s game aside, have clearly outpitched Blanton. One of the more consistent pitchers the last two years, Blanton entered Saturday afternoon’s game with an ungodly 6.07 ERA.

Joe Blanton may be better in Greg Dobbs' slot on the bench than in the Phillies rotation.

He had a chance to stop the bleeding for the Phillies and put himself back in the mix to stay in the rotation, especially after Moyer gave up nine runs in one inning of work Friday.

Instead of shutting down the Red Sox and eating innings, Blanton left after four innings and 100 pitches with his season ERA at 7.28.

The man got slammed harder than a door on the wrong end of a teenage temper tantrum. He got drilled for 13 hits and nine runs. Again, he did all that in four innings.

At this point, you can’t count on Blanton and he may just end up being an expensive version of Danys Baez before long. When happ returns, someone has to go and it’s not going to be Moyer. And, honestly, how would you feel if Blanton stayed in the rotation and Kendrick got bounced to the bullpen.

Kentucky Joe may have one or two more starts to prove his worth, but at this rate, Ruben Amaro may have 24 million reasons to cry in his beer the next few weeks.

If there were a red panic button in the Phillies dugout, manager Charlie Manuel may have smacked the crap out of it last night. How else do you explain benching your one, three and four hitters in the fourth inning of a game? How else do you explain sitting three all-stars?

Granted, the 12-0 score probably had a lot to do with it. However, benching three guys gives the appearance of trying to send a message. Last week, the last skipper to win a championship in this city was critical of his players’ nanchalant attitudes before a game; they were watching a movie in the clubhouse.

Manuel has always been seen as a players manager who will do what it takes to protect his guys. He’s clearly not doing that now. Not with benching Jayson Werth the last couple weeks; not with saying Werth may be affected by his pending free agent status; not by calling out players preparation; not by pulling a third of your lineup in Boston.

The question now becomes, should the Phillies fans join Manuel and hit the red button?

To be clear, the last three weeks have flat out sucked in the Land of Red Pinstripes. A team built to outscore teams has managed to cross home plate just 41 times in its last 18 games, a paltry 2.3 runs-per-game average. They’ve failed to score more than three runs in 15 of those games, and been shut out six times.

That just isn’t going to get the job done. Some say the Werths of the lineup are pressing and trying too hard. Well, they’ve done that when most of the media attention has been on the Flyers run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now that Michael Leighton has found the puck in the net behind him, the Phillies are really going to be under the microscope. Oh, and the fact that they sit in third place behind the Braves and the friggin’ Mets won’t help matters.

To panic or not to panic? That is the question.

REASONS TO PANIC

Jimmy Rollins: The shortstop’s .341 average and other offensive numbers aren’t the problem. Neither is his defense. The issue here is his calf. He’s played a total of 11 games this year and is trying to wrap up his second stint on the DL. He is the Phillies motor; as he goes, the Phils go. It’s not a coincidence that the Phillies offensive ineptness started the night after Rollins reaggravated his calf injury. The team averages nearly three runs a game less without their sparkplug. If Rollins can’t get that injury completely healed, this offense will continue to suffer.

Chase Utely is not the .260 hitter he's shown this year. Could an injury be to blame?

Chase Utley: I’m likely going to be dodging rocks from the women who see me in the streets after putting Utley in this category. His work ethic and baseball prowess aren’t being questioned. Like Rollins, his health is something to look at. A .260 average this season? That’s not Utley. We all know it. An injury can be the only explanation for his struggles at the plate. Just remember, in 2008 Utley started red hot and tailed off big time. The Phils did not win a World Series due to their offense that year. After the parade down Broad, we learned Utley needed hip surgery. To be clear, an injured Utley is better than anything else the Phils could put out there, but don’t be surprised to learn of an injury at some point.

Shane Victorino: The Flyin’ Hawaiian has ten homers and 36 RBI so far this year. He also has 32 strikeouts. OK, so why does a guy who is tied for the team lead in HRs with Ryan Howard, Werth and Utley in this category? Power numbers aren’t his game. He has already matched his HR total from last year, and is just four away from his career high of 14 in 2008. He is already more than halfway to his career high of 62 RBI from last year. Meanwhile, since becoming an everyday player in 2006, Victorino has not hit below .281 for a season. He hit better than .290 the last two years. Right now he’s hitting .263. The man needs to get back to slapping singles and doubles in the gaps.

Rauuuul Ibanez: Was Ibanez as good as his torrid start to the 2009 season? No. However, a .242 average with three long balls? That doesn’t come close to cutting it. If the $12-million man doesn’t get his bat going, he needs to sit the bench and John Mayberry needs to be given a chance to platoon with him. Every year, Ibanez seems to have a 55-game tear. So, while we can’t give up hope on him just yet, the fact that he is hitting this bad is a cause for concern.

Rauuuul Ibanez better get that .243 average up and soon. The Phils need to hope he has another 55-game tear in him.

Joe Blanton: A 1-4 record with a 6.07 ERA from a guy who was to be your solid No. 3 starter has to make you lose sleep at night. I’m sure the fact that some people will always say, “there’s Cliff Lee’s money,” whether or not it’s accurate, has to be weighing on the organization, if not Blanton himself. The fact is, this man is an innings eater who pitched well the last two years. If he can’t get himself straight, and soon, the Phils rotation is taking a huge hit and Pedro Martinez may yet find himself back in The City of Brotherly Love.

Danys Baez: A 4.50 ERA and a 13-12 walk-to-strikeout ratio doesn’t cut it for a guy thought to be a solid addition to your suspect bullpen. He just seems to give up the wrong hit at the wrong time. Can’t have that.

The Phillies bench: Wilson Valdez has been OK filling in for Juan castro and Jimmy Rollins. But Ross Gload and Greg Dobbs aren’t getting the job done. The Phils need to call up a John Mayberry or make a trade to address the bench play.

REASONS NOT TO PANIC

Roy Halladay

Ryan Howard: Granted, 10 homers for the $25 million man at this point in the season may cause you to want to worry. Don’t. He is hitting .291, the highest of his career since his 2006 MVP year. As far as his power numbers, this guy usually doesn’t heat up until the summer temperatures do. At the end of the day, he’ll still have 40 HRs and be a part of the MVP talk. Don’t worry about the big man.

Placido Polanco: The professional hitter continues to impress at the plate. The Phillies, for the most part, have been better at the plate since Polanco himself returned from a DL stint. He’ll hit better than .300, hit some long balls and score runs. Combine him with Rollins at the top of the order and you could see the Phils lineup explode again real soon.

Jayson Werth He is mired in a terrible slump. He will break out of it and soon. He’s not a 40 HR guy, nor is he a .355 hitter. Finishing the season with a .280 average and 25-30 HRs is the player Werth is. He’ll bounce back and end the season with those numbers and help force pitchers to throw hittable balls to Howard. The Phillies will still need to PayDaMan at season’s end.

Jayson Werth will be taking more curtain calls before the end of the year. The Phils will still need to PayDaMan.

Starting Rotation: Halladay is Halladay. Cole Hamles has bounced back quietly, not allowing a big-run performance in about seven games. JA Happ will be fresh when he returns from the DL and be fresh down the stretch. For playoff purposes, you just need Blanton, Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick to step up their game as the fourth guy. The thought here is that the combination of Moyer and Kendrick gets the job done.

Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge: Contreras is a very flexible pitcher who can toss the eighth inning or throw a couple innings of long relief. Lidge, if he continues to pitch the way he has, could very well be back to his 2008 form. He just needs to stay healthy.

Charlie Manuel: The skipper has a way of getting the most from his players. He will get this thing turned around. remember, in 2008 he kicked the crap out of a water cooler, sparking the Phillies to reel off a nice win streak. They ended that season on Broad Street. Forget the appearance that he may be alienating players with his public comments. If he’s doing that, it means he’s tried everything else and the players know that.

THE BOTTOM LINE

To panic or not to panic? Just remember, “the play’s the thing.”

How this team plays on the field between now and the All-Star break ultimately will tell us whether or not to reach for the red button. As it stands, if Rollins comes back healthy this lineup will score runs. And, with the way the pitchers have performed recently, that’s all it’ll take to surpass the Mets and Braves in the NL East.

Remember, this team was the best in the NL as recently as two weeks ago. You don’t go from being that good to this bad overnight. They will turn it around as the sweltering summer nights infiltrate South Philly.

For now, sit back in the recliner and reach for the Coronas instead of the red panic button.