Phillies Notebook: Phillies reliever Madson says he's ready to return

Overshadowed by injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco has been the lanky, righthanded setup man on the disabled list who, as of yesterday, had spent 72 days working his way back from a broken toe.

But the Phillies are well aware of the importance of Ryan Madson's return, particularly after watching their bullpen run out of gas in a 6-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night.

The 29-year-old reliever, who injured himself when he kicked a chair after blowing a save in San Francisco on April 28, said yesterday he is ready to return after five rehab outings.

"I'm good," said Madson, who allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and one home run while striking out six in 5 2/3 rehab innings.

He wasn't activated yesterday, presumably because he had pitched in back-to-back outings at Triple A Lehigh Valley and would have been unavailable for the Phillies' series finale against the Braves. But when he is, the club hopes it will be the start of a slow trickle of players returning from injury.

Catcher Brian Schneider, whose sprained thumb has sidelined him for a week, said yesterday he was healthy enough to play without limitations. But manager Charlie Manuel started Dane Sardinha for the sixth straight game, saying he still had reservations about Schneider.

"I don't know how much I want to turn him loose," Manuel said. "He's not 100 percent yet. I can put him in the game and catch him probably if I have to."

Normal starter Carlos Ruiz, who hasn't played since suffering a concussion against the Twins on June 18, still could return before the All-Star break, which begins Monday. Ruiz started for Triple A Lehigh Valley last night and went 0-for-2 while playing six innings in his first rehab appearance since landing on the disabled list.

Workhorse reliever Chad Durbin, on the DL with a hamstring strain since June 24, and lefty specialist Antonio Bastardo, on the DL with an inflamed ulnar nerve since June 17, are scheduled to start their rehab assignments on Saturday. If all goes well, both could return shortly after the Phillies start their second-half schedule July 15 in Chicago.

The Phillies' bullpen entered last night ranked ninth in the National League with a 4.09 ERA despite infrequent work. (Phillies relievers have combined to throw 196 2/3 innings, 26 1/3 fewer than Arizona, the team with the second-lowest total.)

The return of Madson, who had allowed seven earned runs in nine innings at the time of his injury but has been a reliable setup option for six seasons, and Durbin are particularly crucial, given the way Manuel has shied away from using righthander Danys Baez.

When the Phillies signed the 32-year-old veteran to a 2-year, $5.25 million contract in the offseason, they envisioned him as a back-of-the-bullpen arm who could pitch up to two innings. But Baez, who has walked seven batters against six strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings since June 1, was one of only two relievers Manuel did not use in the 6-3, 11-inning loss on Tuesday. Before pitching two-thirds of an inning in last night's loss to Atlanta, he had been in one game since June 27. Overall, he has a 4.60 ERA in 34 appearances.

"We'll keep using him, more than likely for one inning, or put him on a couple of hitters in the sixth or seventh inning, things like that," Manuel said, "try to get him some time pitching and keep him sharp, and I think as the season goes on hopefully he'll come into his own and get back to where he used to be."

Speaking of pitching . . .

One day after general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said his top priority was upgrading the pitching staff, Charlie Manuel agreed.

"I think that we need pitching. I think the game is about pitching," the manager said. "I think the game is going more about pitching . . . Around baseball nowadays, I've heard you guys talk about it, I hear 'em talk on television, about how games are closer and there are more no-hitters, more shutouts. It shows the pitching has to be better."

The marquee pitcher on the market is Cliff Lee, although the Phillies also have scouted several pitchers whose chief purpose would be to upgrade the middle of the rotation. Plenty of arms who would fit that bill could become available over the next couple of weeks, including the Orioles' Jeremy Guthrie, the Indians' Fausto Carmona and the Cubs' Ted Lilly.