Chooch behind the pack in All-Star voting

Among major league catchers with a minimum of 150 plate appearances, Carlos Ruiz is:

 --first in batting: .368

 --first in OPS: 1.016

 --tied for third in home runs: 8 (but tied for first in the NL in home runs)

 --tied for second in RBIs: 32 (but also tied for first in NL in RBIs)

 -- first in slugging percentage: .600

 -- second in extra-base hits: 20

 -- seventh in All-Star voting: 562,021 votes (which is almost half of NL leader Yadier Molina's total).

 That's right, Carlos Ruiz, who has risen from the eighth spot to the cleanup spot in the Phillies batting order, who is a legitimate MVP candidate through the season's first two months (if he had enough plate appearances to qualify, he'd be leading the major leagues in hitting and he'd be sixth in OPS) is way behind the pack in his bid to go to his first All-Star Game.

 And, honestly, that's sad. Especially when he plays for a team that has sold out every home game this season (and, thus, there should be plenty of fans filling out those ballots).

I once spoke to a prominent Phillies player and former All-Star who made the observation that, for whatever reason, Phils fans don't get too much into the All-Star voting process). This would be the best proof yet.


 Here are the results for the first round of balloting among NL catchers:

  1. Yadier Molina, STL: 1,100,048 votes 
  2. Buster Posey, SFG: 1,072,464 
  3. Brian McCann, ATL: 707,508 
  4. Carlos Ruiz, PHL: 562,021 
  5. Jonathan Lucroy, MIL: 457,590


 Other major league catchers with more votes than Chooch: Texas's Mike Napoli, Baltimore's Matt Wieters and Minnesota's Joe Mauer.

 No other Phillies were among the top five players in their respective positions (which isn't shocking, given the way the offense has performed over the season's first two months).

 Among NL outfielders, Hunter Pence is 11th (446,460 votes) and Shane Victorino is 15th (373,034).

Utley headed to Clearwater

On a day the Phillies offense looked as ill-suited as ever in attempting to overcome a 5-0 deficit - Hector Luna was the cleanup hitter - the team got good news following Sunday's game.

Chase Utley is taking his rehab to Clearwater, Fla., where he'll begin playing in games.

"I'm excited about it," said Utley, who has miss the season's first tow months with chondromalacia in his left knee. "I've made some progress in the next two months and I'm ready to take the next step."

Utey hopes to hop right into extended spring training games on Monday. He'll take at-bats and run the bases initially, and then hopes to begin fielding in games, too.

When Utley missed the first seven weeks of the 2011 season, he left for Clearwater on May 10, returned to Philly 10 days later and was activated on May 23. But he couldn't say if he'd be able to make a similar, less-than-two-weeks return to Philadelphia this year.

"I don't have a time frame," Utley said. "My whole goal is to feel comfortable and feel that I can contribute on a daily basis."

Contreras's season over, career in jeopardy

Jose Contreras has likely thrown his last pitch as a big leaguer.


Contreras left Friday's game after throwing five pitches in the seventh inning. It did not look good.

The MRI results Saturday confirmed the Phillies' initial fears.


The 40-year-old Contreras has a complete UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) and a flexor pronator tear in his right arm. The Phils will wait to hear a second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum, who preferred elbow surgery on Contreras in September.


But general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the initial findings would mean Contreras' season is over.


"It’s kind of unfortunate for him, I feel badly for him," Amaro said. "He worked pretty hard to get back to the point where he was starting to be pretty effective. It’s a tough piece of news to take."


Contreras began the season on the DL while recovering from his surgery in September, but became a vital cog in the Phils' pen in the last month. 


In Wednesday's 10-6 win over the Mets at Citi Field, Contreras struck out two of the three batters he faced in a 1-2-3 eighth inning.


After allowing 10 runs in his first 10 games this season after being activated off the DL, Contreras extended his scoreless string to six straight games on Wednesday; he has a 1.86 ERA in 11 games since May 4 before taking the field on Friday.


Contreras' current injury would require Tommy John surgery. Since he turns 41 in December, his major league return appears to be very unlikely.

Chooch takes another day, other injury updates

Carlos Ruiz is out of the starting lineup for the third straight game with a mild right hamstring strain. Brian Schneider is catching in his place in Wednesday night's series finale against the Mets at Citi Field.

Ruiz did take part in some sprinting exercises before batting practice and said he felt a lot better than when he arrived to New York on Monday. Ruiz said the hamstring had been bothering him for a few days and became more of a problem when he ran from first to third on a single in the sixth inning in St. Louis on Sunday.

With Thursday's off day in the schedule, the Phils decided it made sense to be conservative in returning Ruiz back into regular action. He expects to play when the Phils return to Citizens Bank Park Friday against Miami.

"I’ve had two days, Charlie giving me today and then tomorrow, that will be good for me," Ruiz said. "I was running outside today and I feel better, I don’t want to say (100 percent), but close. I think today and tomorrow are going to be the difference I’ll see how I feel Friday."

Ruiz is available to pinch hit tonight, just as he was Tuesday night.

In other injury news...

-- Roy Halladay was checked out by Mets team doctor David Altchek Wednesday. Halladay simply wanted a second opinion on his right shoulder. The Phillies won't have an update on Halladay until Friday, when he is expected to talk to the media for the first time since landing on the DL.

-- Laynce Nix ran for the first time since landing on the DL on May 11 with a left calf strain. Nix caled it more of a "really light jog" and isn't close to returning or going on a rehab assignment.