Brad Lidge was activated from the DL for the second time this season. He'll be available to pitch out of the bullpen this afternoon.

Nelson Figueroa will not. To make room for Lidge, the Phillies designated Figueroa for assignment.

"It's part of the business... it's not how I wanted to spend my Memorial Day," Figueroa said.

Figueroa wasn't angry - he understands the reality of the situation. It's a "numbers crunch" and he had pitched just three times since May 3.

He'll sit tight for three days, when he'll wait to clear waivers, and if he's not claimed, he'll have 10 days to decide whether to accept a minor league assignment with the Phillies or hook on elsewhere.

Figueroa doesn't dislike the situation here. But if a chance to pitch more with another team comes up, he sounds like he would welcome that opportunity.

"I feel like I could step into a rotation somewhere, pitch and do well," Figueroa said.


Meanwhile, Jayson Werth, who doesn't have a hit in 19 straight at-bats and was 0-for-4 with 4 strikeouts in Florida Sunday, is out of this afternoon's starting lineup [1. Ross Gload (RF), 2. Greg Dobbs (3B) 3. Chase Utley (2B), 4. Ryan Howard (1B), 5. Shane Victorino (CF), 6. Raul Ibanez (LF), 7. Carlos Ruiz (C), 8. Wilson Valdez (SS), 9. Joe Blanton (P).]

Werth was also out of the lineup Friday, meaning he's had two days off in the last four games. He was asked if a few days out of everyday play could help him shake his slump.

"One would hope so," Werth said.

Werth then went on to talk about how he has a history of being streak - very good at times and then not-so-good for stretches.

"Check out my spring training stats, they weren't very good.... and then I was going pretty good there for a while (when the season began)," Werth said, referring to the first five weeks of the season.

Werth hit .336 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs in 37 games from April 5 to May 17; he has hit .154 with one home run, two RBIs and 16 strikeouts in 39 at-bats in the 12 games since.

But this isn't unchartered territory, as Werth mentioned. In a 15-game stretch between July 26 and August 11 last season, he hit .184 with 14 strikeouts in 49 at-bats.

He also went 0-for-21 from Sept. 22-27 last year.

Hard to believe, but he's been worse than what we've been seeing in the last week.

Roy Halladay, who became the 20th pitcher in the 140-plus-year history of the sport (and the second in the 128-year history of the Phillies) to throw a perfect game, is difficult to track down on the days he isn't pitching in a major league game.

He is always in a room somewhere in the inner bowels of a stadium - the weight room and video room are the most popular options - tirelessly putting in the work in the four days before he pitched to ensure he's giving himself every opportunity to get the best out of himself on the day he does pitch.

Interestingly, before Saturday, the Phillies hadn't won a game Halladay had pitched since May 6, a span of four starts. Although he never said it, you had to imagine Halladay was taking that personally.

The feeling was compounded a week ago. Coming into Saturday, Halladay was fresh off his worst start of the season, an 8-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox, a game that he allowed seven runs (six earned).

Charlie Manuel, meanwhile, was under the gun for allowing Roy Halladay to throw over 150 pitches in back-to-back starts.

Skeptics began to question if Halladay was headed down an overworked path and if Manuel was pushing his new ace too far too early.

Perhaps Halladay himself sensed his manager might come under fire during the loss to the Red Sox last week. Manuel was asked if he felt like Halladay came into Saturday with something to prove coming off last week's loss.

The answer Manuel gave made you think about just what Roy Halladay had to be thinking during the week in between, during those hours lifting weights and running stadium tunnels, watching video and throwing his in-between-starts bullpen session.


"This guy is really intense. Really intense," Manuel said. "Last week I took him out of the game. I saw him on the bench and you could tell he didn't want to be out of the game. He walked up by me, right next to the bat rack, put his hand over the camera in the dugout, and said, 'I'm better than that.' He said it in a really emotional, detemined sort of way. It speaks for itself."

Placido Polanco was hit in the left elbow by a pitch from Tim Hudson on April 21.

On Saturday at Sun Life Stadium - over a month since the initial injury - the aftershocks have caught up with Polanco.

The Phillies regular third baseman was out of the lineup for the second straight game Saturday and he battles inflammation in his non-throwing elbow. But since the left elbow is crucial to his swing, it's affecting him at the plate.

Polanco aggravated the injury while jumping up and extending himself to catch a ball Thursday in New York. He'll have an MRI before Sunday's game.

"It comes and goes," Polanco said of the nagging injury. "I've been able to play, but sometimes when I swing and miss it seems like I hyperextend my elbow, and then it feels weak and I can extend it, field or hit. So we're going to take an MRI and see exactly what it is and fix it."

Polanco had an X-Ray on the injury last month in Atlanta, but it didn't reveal a fracture. On Saturday Polanco said it showed something, however, but the team doctors/training staff didn't believe it was anything severe enough to keep him off the field.

The MRI will dig deeper and see if there's anything structurally wrong in his left arm.

"The MRI is going to be the answer to everything. To see how bad it is, if it can get worse, or whether it's just inflammation and we can get treatment and go from there."

You can't expect a team to get shut out four times in a five-game span and go on like nothing has happened at all.

If it's broke, fix it.

Charlie Manuel is attempting to do just that with this gem of a Phillies lineup posted on the clubhouse wall:

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Wilson Valdez, SS
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Raul Ibanez, LF
6. Ross Gload, RF
7. Greg Dobbs, 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz, C
9. Kyle Kendrick, P


Why Valdez, a career .223 BA and .268 OBP, in the second spot in the order? Because he's 3-for-4 lifetime off Valdez according to Manuel (and verified by baseball-reference.com), that's why.

It is interesting to note Manuel didn't move three guys: Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. All have contributed to the Phillies shutout slide (who hasn't?).

If Victorino, whose .318 OBP is lower than every other "regular" (I'm not including SS), is still leadoff now, he's never moving until Rollins comes back.

I thought it would have made sense to do something different at the top of the very order, but then again, I'm not a baseball manager. (I may have slotted Werth up there. But he hasn't looked great recently, as Manuel went on to say).

"It looks like he’s starting to jump out, starting to press a little bit," Manuel said of Werth. "I want him to sit down, relax and slow the game down. I gave him a blow today."

So Werth and Placido Polanco, still battling elbow soreness a month after getting plunked, aren't starting.

Manuel went on to talk about slumps, and how an 0-for-10 or 0-for-12 doesn't qualify as slump material. What does?

Manuel said he went 0-for-54 once in the minor leagues. How did he get out of it?

"I kept swinging. I'd get madder than a (expletive)," Manuel said. "I'd get into fights and everything. Sometimes I'd swing and miss then (too). What the hell. But if I got hit that would wake me up."

Charlie Manuel held a closed-door meeting with his team following Wednesday night's 5-0 loss to the Mets.

"I wanted to say something. I felt like it was time. I talked to our team. That’s between us."


Manuel likes to keep what he says in such meetings to himself; after calling one last year in Toronto, he didn't even talk to the media - which is unheard of since he's once of the most accommodating conversationalists in the game.

Shane Victorino translated some of what was said: "He just doesn't like... he just asked us to play with intensity. It's not about losing and winning, it's about losing the right way, conducting ourselves the right way. That was the brunt of the conversation. There was no reaming or yelling at anybody. It was just an understanding that if we're going to lose, lose the right way. Keep our heads up and keep plugging along."


Here is what Charlie did have to say to the media afterward:



Q: What is missing?
Manuel: "A lot of times when you’re not scoring runs, you look dead. You look like you don’t have any energy. At the same time, I’d like for us to pick it up a little bit."

Q: Is the team pressing?
Manuel: I don’t think so. I think we know who good we can be. But when somebody says that we’re good, we’re only as good as how we’re playing. If this game, things change real quick. I mean quick-quick. When someone starts hollering how good you are, if you start believing that ...

How we play baseball and the energy that we have, that’s why 45,000 come in Citizens Bank Park every night to see us play. Who we’ve got and how we go about it. If anything changes in the energy and effort and how we go about the game … that crowd’s not going to be there. That’s what draws people to the ballpark … because we win and they like how we win. To me, we’ve been playing baseball the right way for about four or five years now and we want to keep that. Tonight was just a little reminder of those things.

Q: Need to remind them that things can slip away...?
Manuel: Nothing has slipped away because we’ve got 117 games to play. That’s a lot of baseball. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. We shouldn’t be getting down. I think we know what is expected of us and I think we know how it’s supposed to be done. The reminder is what we’re out here for and working for.

We’ve lost four in a row. That’s no big deal. I’m not upset because we lost four in a row. I’m upset about how we’ve been going about it and what’s been happening. More than likely somewhere we’re going to lose four in a row again. That’s just how it is. We’re going to win our share of games, but we are going to lose some. But how we attack it is what I like to see.

If we’re going to talk about winning, we’re going to talk about what going into it. It damn sure isn’t easy.


Q: Surprised offense has gone this bad?

Manuel: Our guys are good hitters. We do have a good offense. But that don’t mean that you’re going to hit tomorrow and that don’t mean you’re going to hit all year and that don’t mean you’re going to hit next year. Hey, I’ve seen guys in this game lose it just like that. if you give me time and let me do some thinking, I can run you out a list all the way out that front door. Don’t take nothing for granted in this game. If people are patting you on the back telling you how good you are, that’s good. but kind of let that go in one ear and out the other.

The Phillies lineup had a different look to it Wednesday night, a day after they were shut out for the second time in three games.

The order was the normal, everyday guys until you looked below Jayson Werth's name. Ben Francisco was in left hitting sixth, Wilson Valdez is playing short and batting seventh and Brian Schneider is batting eighth and catching.

Just a move made to shake up a batting order in a funk? Not really, Charlie Manuel said.

"Chooch is banged up," Manuel said.

Manuel wouldn't specify what the injury was... but Carlos Ruiz did. He said his right shoulder has been ailing him for a month.

But it was apparently much ado about nothing, according to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

"It's been bothering him, but nothing too serious," Amaro said.

Q: Did a team doctor seen it? MRI done on it?
Amaro: "Not at this point. Everybody gets sore. It's baseball."

Q: Can it be managed by giving him day off here and there?
Amaro: "You guys are making too big of a deal out of it."

Q: That’s the same thing you said when Lidge had first cortisone shot at end of March.
Amaro (getting sarcastic): "Ok, he's going to have an MRI, it's blown out. Four (bleeping) tears. He's just getting a day off because he's sore."

Q: He'll be back tomorrow?
Amaro: "I would think so. But he might not be."


So there you go...

Here is the official release from MLB:


Four-time National League All-Star Chase Utley of the defending N.L. Champion Philadelphia Phillies is Major League Baseball’s top vote-getter in the first N.L. balloting figures for the 81st All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 13th at Angel Stadium of Anaheim .


Utley, a native of Southern California who attended UCLA, has started at second base for the N.L. in each of the last four Midsummer Classics, and has received 687,724 votes, well ahead of Rickie Weeks (169,941) of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Three-time N.L. MVP and eight-time All-Star Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals leads the way at first base, ranking second overall in the Majors with 647,666 votes. Pujols, who recorded the second-highest vote total in M.L. history in 2009 (5,397,374), ranks ahead of Philadelphia ’s Ryan Howard (329,673).




Joining Utley among the N.L. leaders are his teammates Jimmy Rollins (340,747), who leads Hanley Ramirez (309,244) of the Florida Marlins at shortstop, and Placido Polanco (309,458), who is ahead of David Wright (236,387) of the New York Mets at third base. Rollins is seeking his fourth All-Star selection, while Polanco was a starter at second base for the A.L. in 2007.




Behind the plate, Yadier Molina (316,795) of the Cardinals leads Carlos Ruiz (259,227) of the Phillies as well as veteran All-Stars Ivan Rodriguez (247,998) of the Washington Nationals and Brian McCann (203,377) of the Atlanta Braves in an attempt to make his second consecutive start.


The N.L. outfield is led by Milwaukee ’s Ryan Braun, who has drawn 423,834 votes, and Phillies teammates Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino, who have totaled 365,402 and 348,841 votes, respectively. Braun, also a native of Southern California , has started in the outfield for the N.L. in each of the last two seasons. Werth made his first All-Star team in 2009, while Victorino led all vote-getters in the 2009 All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote to claim his first All-Star selection.




Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers is fourth among N.L. outfielders with 316,383 votes, followed by Matt Holliday (309,463) of the Cardinals and Jason Heyward (304,547) of the Braves. Heyward’s vote total represents the third most in history by a rookie in the first balloting totals, behind two Cubs teammates in 2008: Geovany Soto (343,427) and Kosuke Fukudome (325,456).

The Major League Baseball All-Star Game Balloting Program is the largest of its kind in professional sports. More than 20 million Firestone All-Star ballots will be distributed at the 30 Major League ballparks, each of which will have 23 home dates for balloting, and in approximately 100 Minor League ballparks. Every Major League Club began its in-stadium balloting no later than Monday, May 10th. As part of a new sponsorship with Scotts, the official sponsor of the 2010 Retail All-Star Balloting Program, fans can also vote at approximately 1,700 Lowe’s locations nationwide.

Fans around the world can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times with the 2010 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Sprint, available exclusively at MLB.com and all 30 Club Web sites. The 2010 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot Sponsored by Sprint offers English and Spanish-language versions of the ballot as well as audio CAPTCHA functionality for visually-impaired fans. Sprint subscribers also can vote on select Sprint mobile devices and can visit MLB.com/Sprint for complete details on mobile voting. When the in-stadium phase of balloting concludes on Wednesday, June 23rd, fans will have the opportunity to cast their final ballots exclusively online at MLB.com and the 30 Club Web sites until Thursday, July 1st at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

Firestone, the official sponsor of the 2010 In-Stadium All-Star Balloting Program, has teamed up with MLB for the Firestone/MLB All-Star Sweepstakes. Each in-stadium ballot includes a sweepstakes entry form to be completed by fans along with their votes for the All-Star Game starters. At the completion of the balloting period, one lucky fan will be randomly selected to win a new set of Firestone tires, as well as an all expenses paid trip to Anaheim to throw a ceremonial first pitch before the All-Star Game.

Scotts is the official sponsor of the 2010 Retail All-Star Balloting Program, which began on May 10th exclusively at approximately 1,700 Lowe’s stores across the country. In addition to casting their votes, fans have the opportunity to enter to win a VIP All-Star Week Experience, courtesy of Scotts.

Banco BHD sponsors All-Star balloting in the Dominican Republic , making Spanish-language ballots available online at www.bhd.com.do and at All-Star balloting terminals across more than 80 branches, through July 1st.

The 2010 American League and National League All-Star Teams will be unveiled on Sunday, July 4th on the 2010 MLB All-Star Game Selection Show presented by Taco Bell, televised nationally on TBS. The American League All-Star Team will have nine starters elected via the fan balloting program, while the National League All-Star Team will have eight fan-elected starters. The pitchers and reserves for both squads – totaling 25 for the N.L. and 24 for the A.L. – will be determined through a combination of “Player Ballot” choices and selections made by the two All-Star managers, American League skipper Joe Girardi of the Yankees and National League manager Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies, in conjunction with Major League Baseball .



Immediately following the announcement of the A.L. and N.L. All-Star rosters, fans will begin voting to select the final player for each League’s 34-man roster via the 2010 All-Star Game Final Vote Sponsored by Sprint. Fans will cast their votes exclusively online at MLB.com from a list of five players from each League over a four-day period and the winners will be announced after the voting concludes on Thursday, July 8th. Now in its sixth year, fans again will be able to make their Final Vote selections on their mobile phones, exclusive to Sprint subscribers. The final phase of All-Star Game voting at MLB.com will have fans again participate in the official voting for the Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2010 All-Star Game MVP Vote Sponsored by Sprint.

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports, and around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/5:00 p.m. (PDT). ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage. MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.

We hate to interrupt this Saturday Night Flyers Are Five Games Away From Being World ------- Champions Party, but here's the latest on your baseball team.

Jimmy Rollins is back on the DL.

The shortstop, who re-injured his right calf, had an MRI that revealed a Grade 1 strain of the calf. He missed 30 games this year with a Grade 2 strain of the same calf already this year.

"It's much, much milder that his last one," GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "But we didn't want to mess around with it so we decided it's best to take care of it.

"It's a two-week thing. I don't see this going much longer than the DL stint. It might not take that long, but we can't afford to put ourselves in a position where, one, he reinjures it and it becomes very very serious and, two, we're leaving the team short."

The Phils called Wilson Valdez back up from Triple-A to take Rollins spot on the active roster.

The Phillies vs. the Red Sox. Welcome to Interleague Play, 2010.

You know who's happy? FOX is happy. They'll televise their first Saturday night game of the season in the second game of the Phils-Sox series.

Surely they'd rather have a battle of interleague titans than, say, Phillies-Braves.

Charlie Manuel isn't as big of a fan of interleague play as the TV execs, though. But first, here's what he said of the MLB-built "rivalry" between the Phils and Sox, who will play each other at home and away this year and, by default, be each other's "natural interleague rivalry." (like the Yankees-Mets, Dodgers-Angels, Giants-A's, etc.).

"They've been beating our ass," Manuel said of the Red Sox. "I think it's time for us to start holding our own. If it's going to be a rivalry, we have to pick it up."

The manager has a point: under his tutelage, the Phils have gone 3-12 against the Red Sox in the last five seasons.

The Phils have pretty much stunk up the joint overall in interleague play. Since 2005, they're 30-51 (.370 winning percentage). As a frame of reference, the Nationals winning percentage last year? .364

And all of those people crying two weeks ago about the Phillies getting an extra home series this year (due to Toronto hosting the G20 Summit) should realize something else about interleague play: it brings unbalanced scheduling.

The Phillies will play 12 games against 3 of the 4 American League playoff teams from a year ago: Boston (six games), the Yankees (three games) and the Twins (three games).

The Nationals' interleague schedule? They play Baltimore Orioles (six times) and also play KC, the White Sox and Tigers. Zero playoff teams.

Take it from here, Charlie:

"When interleague play began I liked it because the season is 162 games and it allowed teams to see different teams in each league, the National League would get to see the Yankees, they'd get to see the Red Sox, they'd get to see good players and good teams.

"I think now it's been around for quite a while and I think when I look at the schedule, I think sometimes the schedule can be more difficult for different teams. That's not only us, it's every team in baseball.

"If we're playing the contenders in the American League more than any other National League team does and they beat us, yeah, I have a problem with that. I look at it like here we are playing these teams... and I bet the Atlanta Braves, the Florida Marlins and New York Mets, every team in baseball would feel the same way. That's kind of how it goes.

"I also like the World Series. I think with the National League and American League, it should be on a clean slate. But surveys prove the fans like it the way it is."

This is how well things are going with the Phillies lately: the current concern with the team, at least in some circles, is the increasing high-pitch counts for Roy Halladay.

Let get this out of the way at the top: Roy Halladay is well-versed in pitching very deep into games. He has led all major league pitches in complete games in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

He leads all of baseball this year with four complete games.

Complete games are one thing. But what about the pitch counts in those complete games?

Halladay threw 133 pitches Tuesday night against Pittsburgh, one short of his career-high of 134 pitches in a game. That came June 2 of last year.

Since it is right around the same time of the year, it's a pretty good frame of reference to compare to what we can expect this year... and whether or not the high pitch total had an adverse affect on how the rest of his season played out.

Before we continue on, we will add this note: Halladay has thrown 111 pitches or more in 6 of 9 starts this season. In 2009, from the Opening Day to the day he threw 134 pitches, Halladay reached 111 pitches 5 times in 12 starts.

So you could definitely say he has pitched more in the early part of this season than last.

But.... after Halladay threw 134 pitches on June 2 of last year, and thus reached beyond the 111-pitch total were using as a frame of reference, he didn't seem to be bothered in the long run. Although he never threw more than 119 pitches in any game from that day forward, Halladay finished the 2009 season 8-9 with a 2.80 ERA.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the losing record. He played for the Blue Jays, who were 34-49 from July on last summer.

But the ERA was 2.80, one point higher than his final season mark of 2.79.

So, in the end, it didn't appear to do him any damage.

You could make the argument that he will be expected to pitch at least another month this season, given the Phillies postseason expectations. Admittedly, it's a very good point.

But here's the thing with Doc: he isn't exactly built like the modern day starting pitcher. As we mentioned earlier, he has led all of baseball in complete games in nearly every full season he has pitched last decade.

He begins working out at 4 a.m. everyday in the offseason for a reason - to keep his arm, mind and body in shape for the grueling season ahead. And here's the catch: 40-50 years ago, pitchers didn't work out that much but still pitched far deeper into games than the modern day starting pitcher.

I actually touched on this topic two weeks ago, when Robin Roberts, who once threw 28 straight complete games, had just passed away and when 47-year-old Jamie Moyer was fresh of becoming the oldest player in the game's history to throw a complete-game shutout.

“It’s not that (today’s pitchers) can’t do it, it’s what you’re trained to do. In this age, the game isn’t played that way,” Moyer told me about the lost art of complete games. “It’s a mindset. If someone says you can only write half an article and they tell you that the whole year and they only allow you to write a half an article, by the end of the year you’re going to think you can only write half of an article. For me, it’s a mindset.”

Halladay obviously has that "mindset." He was brought up that way, trained that way from an early age. He is the one of the remaining of the rare, nearly-extinct breed of nine-inning-eaters among the modern day pitcher.

You can ready more about what Moyer had to say about the issues, and about the strong comments pitching coach Rich Dubee made, by reading that story here.

In a related note, my Sports Illustrated just arrived in the mail and has a well-timed story that plays right into this conversation.

The story is about Nolan Ryan's quest to turn make the modern day Texas Rangers into an old school pitching staff. It's titled, "Nolan Ryan's Crusade."

In it, Ryan, the Rangers team president, makes a lot of the same points Moyer and Dubee made last week.

"Pitchers have been pampered," Ryan said, regarding constant, pitch count-monitoring. "There's no reason kids today can't pitch as many innings as people did in my era."

After I saw this, I decided to do a little experiment.

If Ryan could do it, why not Halladay?

Halladay recently turned 33-years-old. Like Halladay, Ryan pitched 12 big league season before his 33rd birthday.

Like Halladay, Ryan was obviously a work horse: he threw 20 complete games or more in five seasons of a six-year stretch from 1972-77.

Ryan turned 33 years old before the 1980 season, and thus, had a lot of mileage on his arm from the aforementioned numbers.

How did Ryan do as a 33-year old? He was 11-10 with a 3.35 ERA in 35 starts.

Unfortunately, the resources I've checked do not have the pitch counts from the 1980 season. So, heck, let's flash forward 10 years later to see how good 'ol Nolan's arm fared in 1990.

Ryan, then 43-years-young and with 22 seasons of wear and tear tacked on his right arm, was 13-9 with a 3.44 ERA in 30 starts. He held opponents to a miniscule .188 batting average.

Moreover, Ryan threw 130 pitches on June 11, his 10th start of the season. He would throw over 120 pitches 9 times in 1990 .... and over 111 pitches, the frame of reference we used earlier for Halladay, a whopping 16 times.

After throwing 144 pitches (144!) in a 3-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 2, 1990, Ryan finished the rest of the season 6-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 16 starts.

So if Ryan could do it, why not Halladay?

UPDATED: Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said Rollins will be evaluated by the team medical staff in Philadelphia on Monday. If that goes well, he will be activated.


As I wrote in yesterday's paper, Jimmy Rollins will likely be back at the top of the lineup for the Phillies tomorrow (Monday) night. (That headline buried the news, by the way).

Rollins went 0-for-3 Saturday night in his first official rehab game at Class A Clearwater. But he played in extending spring training games three others days this week.

Rollins did not play anywhere Sunday; Clearwater hit the road for games in Fort Myers. The rest of the Phillies affiliates are also on road trips.

Charlie Manuel told us before Sunday's game in Milwaukee two things that further clear the way for Rollins' return Monday.

1. He said Rollins "feels like he's ready to play."

2. He said Rollins was flying back to Philly.

Add it all together and what do you get?

The Return of Jimmy Rollins.


Rollins has been out since spraining his right calf before the home opener on April 12.

A quick rundown on the status of the Phillies walking wounded:

-Jimmy Rollins will begin his official rehab Saturday, when he suits up and plays shortstop for the Clearwater Threshers. If you're in the Tampa/Clearwater area, pass along that update on how he looks, won't you?

-Brad Lidge is giving his right elbow a third straight day of rest today. He'll give a test in a throwing session tomorrow. If the inflammation has subsided, he could be given the go to return Saturday or Sunday.

-Juan Castro is not in the lineup for the eighth straight game. But he said he's 100 percent. Expect him at shortstop Saturday.

-J.A. Happ threw on Thursday's offday at Miller Park. He will likely throw again on flat ground this weekend and, if he continues to progress, will throw a bullpen session in Philly on the homestand.

-Carlos Ruiz is available to play in an emergency situation tonight. He says his knee is still a little sore, but much better than it was Wednesday. He's hoping to return to the lineup Saturday.

Brad Lidge had an MRI today on his ailing right elbow. He will not have to make a trip to the DL.

According to the Phillies, the MRI "revealed no loose bodies and no structural damage. It also revealed that his flexor pronator surgery (performed last November) is healing properly. The MRI did reveal inflammation in the lining of his elbow joint. His status is day-to-day."



And now a brief summary of Brad Lidge's Elbow:

Brad Lidge had surgery on his right elbow in November.

He experienced a setback at the end of spring training, needing a cortisone shot to "kick start" the velocity in his arm and help overcome elbow soreness.

A month later, he picked up his first save of the season... but later that night (Sunday), he experienced tightness in his elbow.

Lidge left the team in Denver Wednesday morning to fly back to Philly to have said elbow examined.

Jimmy Rollins got six at-bats today in jumping into and out of games at extended spring training in at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.

The results were good.

Rollins was 3-for-6 with a double and two singles. Two of his outs were on line drives.

Perhaps most encouraging, he ran without any problems.

"He ran and slid into second base on the double and felt good, with no pain," assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said.

Rollins will take part in more extended spring training tomorrow, and add playing shortstop to the routine.

There's a possibility Rollins could move from extended spring training to a rehab assignment this weekend. The Phils hope to activate Rollins sometime during next week's homestand.

We haven't even began the 18 innings of baseball today but there is already lots of news at the ballpark Wednesday.

-Brad Lidge was flown back to Philly. He'll get his sore right elbow checked out by team doc Michael Ciccotti Thursday. Charlie Manuel said Lidge should rejoin the team in Milwaukee. (But that could change, of course, depending on how the exam goes).

-Jimmy Rollins will play in extended spring training games today. He'll jump between fields and get as many at-bats as he can during the day. If he continues to progress, he could shift his rehab a few hundred feet away and take part in rehab games with the Clearwater Threshers this weekend.
The Phils hope to activate him for next week's homestand; there's at least a chance Rollins could be ready as soon as Monday, the first game of said homestand.

-The Phillies have been warned by Major League Baseball for alleged sign stealing. The Rockies accused the Phils of using binoculars in the bullpen to relay info to their hitters, as that link explains. The Phils denied the accusations, but assistant GM Scott Proefrock said, regarding the use of binoculars, "It has been addressed and it won't happen again."


Charlie Manuel was more blunt when talking with reporters. When asked why the Phils were accused of sign stealing, Charlie said: "Because we beat them, that's why. Keep crying."

The Phillies and Rockies won't play Tuesday night... which isn't a surprise if you're seeing what I'm seeing from the view at the Coors Field pressbox.

It is ugly.

I heard it's suppose to clear up after noon tomorrow... which is a good thing.

To make up tonight's game, the Phils and Rox will play a split-admission, day-night doubleheader Wednesday. The first game will start at 3:10 p.m. (EST) and the second will begin at 8:40 p.m.

In a way, this rain was good news for the Phillies.

Earlier in the afternoon Brad Lidge's elbow continued to give him trouble. Jose Contreras had pitched in three straight days/games heading into Tuesday.

With Lidge likely not pitching for the rest of the series, Contreras and the rest of the pen that will have to chip in all got to rest their arms.

Brad Lidge was confident when he talked to reporters when the clubhouse this afternoon, believing his elbow ailment was something that would pass.

But he didn't look as upbeat a half hour later.

Lidge played light catch with Chad Durbin in left field this afternoon and didn't appear to being exerting much effort with his right arm. Afterward he said it didn't feel how he wanted it to.


The Phils have no plans in place to send Lidge to the DL. They're currently taking this day-by-day, seeing if the injury will in fact pass. (As Charlie Manuel said, it's not uncommom for any pitcher to go through a period when they're a little stiff following a game).

But since this is Lidge, who had elbow surgery in November, it's also an injury they'll tread lightly with in terms of moving forward.

Jose Contreras threw in three straight games heading into Tuesday. Lidge was obviously unavailable.

The Phils entered the night without a closer and with a bullpen in need of a fresh arm.

Thankfully for Manuel, Roy Halladay is due to take the mound.


-------------------------

Also notable today: Assistant GM Scott Proefrock said Jimmy Rollins has began running in Clearwater and could see action in games in extended spring training in the next couple days.

There's a decent chance that Rollins could be activated during next week's homestand.

Who needs the CN Tower anyway?

Phillies fans can keep their passports stowed away for another year. Major League Baseball sent out a press release announcing the June 25-27 weekend series, originally set to take place at Rogers Centre (formerly the Skydome) will now be played at Citizens Bank Park.

The move was made due to concerns in Toronto with the G20 Summit taking place that weekend.

"After reviewing all of the options with the parties and taking all of the security considerations into account, it was determined that the best course of action is to play the series in Philadelphia," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "I appreciate the cooperation of the Blue Jays, the Phillies and all of the parties who have helped resolve this challenging situation."

Rogers Sports Entertainment President and CEO Paul Beeston said: "This was an extremely difficult decision and one which we did not take lightly. By moving our games to Philadelphia , we are acting in the best interests of our fans, our employees, the players and the game of baseball. We did not want to move the games but in looking at the realities of this situation, we felt that relocation was the most prudent course of action."

This has to be a big blow for the Blue Jays, who rank last in the AL in attendance, with an average of 15,207 per game. (The Phils are first in MLB, by the way, at an average of 45,067). Obviously the Blue Jays were banking on seeing that number jump up with the return of Roy Halladay.

The Blue Jays will be the "home" team in the series, which begins with a 7:05 start Friday, June 25. Sunday's game is set for 1:35 p.m. (Saturday's game time has yet to be announced). Toronto will bat last and both teams will use a DH.

Phillies season ticket holders will be notified of their options within the next 3-7 days. Individual Tickets will be on sale in approximately 10-14 days.

It's unclear if Toronto will receive any of the gate receipts generated from the three-game series.


The most tragic part of the series moving? No chance of running into Toronto native and resident Rachel McAdams that weekend. Rats.

A busy ninth inning at Coors Field Monday night began with Ryan Howard getting plunked.

It continued with Carlos Ruiz's torrid hitting and Ross Gload's first pinch hit home run - both of which put the game away for the Phillies - and it continued with an encouraging sign in the bottom of the inning, when Juan Castro's knee ailment didn't keep him from manning shortstop for the game's final three outs.

But it turns out the most intriguing moves were coming out of the revolving door of a bullpen.

After Ruiz's RBI single gave the Phillies a one-run lead, it was Jose Contreras - and not Brad Lidge - who began warming up for a potential save situation.

Manager Charlie Manuel said before the game he was "ready to turn Lidge loose" as the team's regular closer.

So what gives? Manuel was vague afterward. "We were trying to stay away from him," Manuel said. "He's OK."

Lidge was a bit more honest when speaking with reporters from CSNPhilly and MLB.com.

“I felt a little stiffness in my elbow (Sunday night),” said Lidge, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning Sunday afternoon for his first save of the season. “I played catch today and it was still there. Today it didn’t feel great. It felt stiff.”

Lidge went on to tell the team's website that he wasn't worried and that it could be normal, post-surgery stuff. Lidge had elbow surgery in November.

But no injury is minor when it comes to the Phillies bullpen, which is already without Ryan Madson until July, and for Lidge, who suffered through the worst season of his career last year, in part because he was messing with mechanics to make up for nagging injuries.

Obviously more on this from the ballpark Tuesday....

I sometimes forget to pinch myself every now and again as a reminder of how fortunate I am to have a job covering the team I grew up watching.

I remember the first times I met Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose and Harry Kalas. I remember being in an elevator and realizing I was sharing a ride up with Steve Carlton.

Robin Roberts was obviously from a different era. I wasn't lucky enough to see one of his 286 wins or 305 complete games. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame a year before I was born.

But I was lucky enough to meet him, talk to him and watch him interact with the current Phillies team unlike any Hall of Famer or former player I'd ever seen. Roberts, who passed away of natural causes at his Florida home Tuesday morning, was as genuine as anyone I've ever met - in or outside of baseball circles - and he was also not unlike the legion of baseball supporters that pack Citizens Bank Park everyday.

He was also a Phillies fan.

Two moments that stick out with me have taken place within the last year. Before the Phillies squared off against the New York Yankees in last year's World Series, former media relations chief Larry Shenk, another all-time great in the organization, set up a press conference where Roberts recalled pitching in the 1950 World Series the last time the two teams met in October.

"There were always four things I didn’t like," Roberts said last October. "I didn’t like Notre Dame. I didn’t like Michigan, because I went to Michigan State. I didn’t like the Yankees, because they won even then. And the fourth was Russia. I didn’t like them. But they’re not an Evil Empire.”


The other time that sticks with me was just two months ago, March 3. It was the day of the Phillies first Grapefruit League game at Bright House Field this year, a game Roy Halladay started.

Roberts was there. While the game was being completed by the reserves, Roberts sat in the clubhouse and chatted it up with Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth.

After he walked out of the clubhouse before the game ended, I tracked him down in the hallway to ask him his impressions of Halladay. He was as giddy as any Phillies fan - which he was, of course - about the new right-hander at the top of the rotation.

“He’s a wonderful talent,” Roberts said of Halladay. “He pitches low strikes and he throws a lot of strikes. And they’re not just laid in there – they’re tough strikes.”

Selfishly, I'll miss the opportunities to talk with Roberts. But I'll also always look back with fond memories on getting to know the Hall of Fame man, the true gentleman he was, even if I didn't get to see him as a Hall of Fame pitcher.


Here is what others in the Phillies family had to say today when learning of Roberts' passing:




“I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Robin this morning. He and his late wife Mary were wonderful people. Robin will always be remembered for his Hall of Fame pitching career, but those closest to him will remember him more for his dedication to his family, the baseball players association, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and his coaching influence on young men at many levels. He was a special guy, I can’t say how many times I refer to his career accomplishments as the epitome of what a pitcher should strive to be. Anyone who knew Robin, or had a chance to work with him in any way, knows what a kind man he was. Donna and I join everyone in praying for his family during this tough time,” Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.




“I enjoyed spending time with Robbie on the golf course or at the ballpark and listening to his baseball stories. He was a walking history of the game and I will miss him dearly. My deepest sympathies go out to his family,” Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.



“Robin Roberts – a truly great all-time pitcher and Hall of Famer in baseball, but even more, truly a great human being who I will miss dearly, as will all Phillies and baseball fans across America,” Senator and Hall of Famer Jim Bunning.



“A fine gentleman – great pitcher and a personal friend – happy to know Robbie. As a pitcher, he challenged everyone,” Phillies teammate Stan Lopata.




“Greatest friend and greatest pitcher I ever saw. One in a million – well respected for his ability and as a person,” Phillies teammate Bob Miller.



"Robin was a great guy and a great pitcher. He was always interesting to talk with and a great representative of the Phillies and Major League Baseball. He loved the game and was a mentally tough guy. You could tell that by the number of complete games he pitched. You don’t see those guys anymore, and probably never will," manager Charlie Manuel.



“Robin was one of the only guys I have ever known to have actually played with my great-grandfather. Robin would always tell me stories about people in my family being that he was from my hometown, but especially about my grandfather and my great-grandfather. He would make it a point to tell me good things about them. That was how much of an overall good guy [Robin] was. He will definitely be missed and remembered. And being that he was from Springfield, Ill., he definitely has a special place in my heart,” right fielder Jayson Werth.



“Every time he came around the clubhouse he would start talking about pitching. He talked with me about my slider, and anything he had to say I was all ears. Another thing about Robbie was that he never talked about the way things were when he played the game. He realized that the game changed with time. I was really fortunate to be able to talk with a living legend about pitching,” closer Brad Lidge.



“This is very sad news. We are losing somebody who was a part of Phillies and baseball history, a real legend. Even though he had been out of the game for so long he still got a standing ovation when he was introduced to our fans. We just saw him in Spring Training and he looked fine. This is a real loss,” center fielder Shane Victorino.



“Almost every day I look at the Phillies Hall of Fame jerseys that hang in the hallway by the clubhouse. I try to appreciate what he did as a pitcher. Looking back at the impact he had on the game, it was special. He would always kid around when he came by and would be concerned about how I was and how my family was doing. I feel like I lost a friend. He bled Phillies red. He was a true Phillie top to bottom,” pitcher Jamie Moyer.

After taking Tuesday to discuss the matter of fans jumping out onto the field - and the criticism that came when the fan had to be Tasered - the Phillies issued the following statement today.


Here's the statement:

"The Police Department is conducting an investigation into the use of the Taser gun on the field jumper on Monday night. The Phillies have had discussions at the same time with the Police Department concerning future incidents of field intrusion. It has been agreed that in ordinary circumstances involving field intrusion, the Phillies game day security personnel will make the apprehension of the field jumper and turn him over to the Philadelphia Police on the field for handcuffing and subsequent charging. If greater force is necessary, requiring the assistance of Philadelphia Police in making the apprehension, such assistance will be employed.

"The Phillies will continue their policy of prosecuting all persons coming onto the field during a game to the maximum extent of the law, which could include imprisonment up to one year and a $2,500 fine."

Ryan Madson had surgery on his right big toe this morning.

So what's the diagnosis?

According to head team athletic trainer Scott Sheridan, Madson will be out for a minimum of eight weeks. So there's a good bet Madson could be out until the All-Star break - the All-Star game is 10 weeks from today, on July 13.

Given the injury was self-inflicted - Madson broke his toe after kicking a chair out of frustration - general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was asked if the team considered fining Madson to recoup some of the salary they'll lose with him sidelined for at least two months.

"No," Amaro said. "I think he made a bad decision, I think he knows it, I think it hurt our club, I think there's no other way around it. He made a bad decision and we're not happy about it and I don’t think he's happy about it either. But we're human beings and we sometimes make mistakes and he made one. It's going to hurt him, it's going to hurt the club."

Ryan Madson's ill-advised chair-kicking incident has become a bigger deal than the Phils would have liked.

Madson will undergo surgery on his right big toe Tuesday at the Rothman Institute, six days after kicking a chair out of frustration in San Francisco after blowing a save.

Madson will have surgery Tuesday "to pin and plate" the toe, according to head team athletic trainer Scott Sheridan. The decision was made after Madson had a CT-Scan Monday morning and was seen by Dr. Steven M. Raikin, a foot specialist at Rothman.

"We don't know what that's going to mean long-term," Sheridan said. "Tomorrow after the surgery we'll know more in detail about what that means as far as progressions, rehab and all of things kinds of things."

Dr. Raikin will perform the surgery.

Assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said this does not necessarily increase the aggressiveness the team might have in pursuing outside help to cover up the bullpen. Proefrock said the Phils recently got Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero back and will move forward with a wait-and-see approach, as those two relievers and the likes of Jose Conteras and Danys Baez do provide the pen with some depth for the time being.

Joe Blanton will officially be activated to the DL and return to a rotation in need of a healthy, effective arm Monday night when the Phillies take on the St. Louis Cardinals at CBP.

Blanton missed the first month with a left oblique injury suffered during the final week of spring training.

How badly do the Phillies need Blanton back? The non-Roy Halladay portion of the starting rotation has gone 5-5 with a 5.24 ERA.

Most of that work was done without the services of J.A. Happ, arguably the most effective left-hander in the rotation throughout the '09 season, and all of it was done without the services of Blanton, the most effective right-hander in the rotation a year ago.

The rest of the Phils rotation sets up as follows for the series against STL: Hamels on Tuesday, TBA on Wednesday, TBA on Thursday.

Interesting, huh? Halladay will almost certainly pitch Thursday, since the Phils would prefer to have him pitch every five days.

What this means is the Phillies have not made a decision on the status of Kyle Kendrick, who is 0-1 with a 7.61 ERA in five starts. He has allowed five runs or more in four of his five starts.

But with Happ still injured, the Phillies don't have a lot of options other thean Kendrick. It's still worth wondering if either Triple-A right-hander Andrew Carpenter or current long man Nelson Figueroa are more worthy than Kendrick.

Here's what pitching coach Rich Dubee said Saturday regarding Figueroa, who also has value in the pen:

"I don’t know if Figgy would be the guy or not," Dubee said. "We haven’t talked about that. I don’t know that I like him as a rotation guy, but he definitely can do a lot of things for you out there. He was the other day for a save, he can go long relief, he’s pretty resilient."

The Phils will have to make a roster move to open a spot for Blanton. It could very well mean Antonio Bastardo is sent off the Lehigh Valley.

But the Phils will have to make a decision on the rotation before Wednesday, and a Kendrick-Carpenter switch might make sense. Even if Figueroa is inserted into the rotation, Carpenter could take over long-man duties.

Then again, maybe they give Kendrick a little bit longer of a leash.

"

The last thing the Phillies need is another injury.

The second-to-last thing they need is a setback to an already-established injury.

Although it might not be entirely accurate to say J.A. Happ suffered a setback Friday, his rehab from a left forearm strain is at least being scaled back and he has no immediate plans to throw another bullpen session.

Happ threw a 20-pitch bullpen session Friday, eight days after landing on the 15-day DL, but it didn't go well enough for the Phils to give him to go-ahead to begin pitching in rehab games, let alone continue throwing off the mound.

"It didn't feel as good as we hoped," said pitching coach Rich Dubee, who admitted it might have had something to do with Happ pushing it "pretty good" in a long-toss session the day before.

When asked to characterize the feeling in his left arm compared to a week ago, Happ said it was "less severe." But since the soreness is still there, Dubee says they are going to "quiet it down for the next few days and go from there."

It's likely Happ wouldn't try to throw again off the mound for at least the next 3-4 days... meaning he wouldn't be cleared to begin throwing in minor league rehab games at the earliest for another week-to-10 days.

Since assistant Gm Scott Proefrcok said Happ's minor league rehab would be similar to Joe Blanton's - three starts - it's difficult to see a scenario where Happ would return to the Phillies any sooner than the third week of May.

Even if you can't stamp this as a setback, it's a blow to a starting rotation that is in dire need of someone other than Roy Halladay to chip in with quality starts. The Phils rank 29th out of 30 teams in quality starts with seven (and Halladay has accounted for more than half of those, with four).

Thankfully for Phils fans, Halladay takes the mound today against the Mets, who throttled the home team Friday night.