THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
Lou Marson is on his way to Denver.
For now, the move is only a precaution in case injured catcher Carlos Ruiz, who left the Phillies 10-3 loss to the Rockies yesterday with a strained oblique, is unable to play.
Marson, a September call-up last season who went 2-for-4 with a home run in his only major league game, was scratched from the starting line-up at Triple-A Lehigh Valley 10 minutes before the start of the IronPigs game against the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons.
Manager Charlie Manuel said that the Phillies would not have a definitive prognosis on Ruiz until he is re-evaluated this morning.
“We’ll just let him sleep tonight and tomorrow sometime, probably before I come to the ballpark, I’ll call and see how he is and we’ll kind of go from there,” Manuel said.
Manuel said Ruiz injured the oblique while retreating for a pop fly. The only pop-up he caught was in the third inning off the bat of Rockies catcher Chris Ianetta.
The oblique is in the area of the rib cage. Manuel said an injury such as the one Ruiz suffered makes it painful to breathe.
“If it’s a strained rib cage, you’re talking at least a week to maybe two weeks,” Manuel said. “I’m not a doctor, but if that is what it is, that’s what usually happens in that type of injury. But we’ll see.”
Chris Coste replaced Ruiz as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and caught the rest of the game. Right fielder Jayson Werth has been the Phillies’ emergency catcher the last two seasons, but the team gave utility man Eric Bruntlett work at the position in spring training.
Ruiz went 0-for-2 yesterday and is now 3-for-11 on the season. Marson hit .314 with five home runs and 46 RBI at Double-A Reading last season. Manuel said that if Ruiz does end up on the disabled list, Marson would be the pick to replace him.
“Marson’s the guy we sent down there to play” in case he is needed, Manuel said. A trip to the disabled list would be the first for Ruiz in two-plus major league seasons.
