NEW YORK — Carlos Ruiz remains out of the Phillies' lineup for the second straight game with tightness in his right hamstring.

Ruiz's absence is not surprising, since manager Charlie Manuel indicated after Monday’s 8-4 win over the New York Mets that Brian Schneider would likely start in today’s game, the second of the Phillies' three-game series at Citi Field against the Mets.

Schneider is catching, and Ty Wigginton is in the cleanup spot after his career-high 6 RBI in Monday's game.

Here is the lineup.

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Juan Pierre, LF

3. Hunter Pence, RF

4. Ty Wigginton, 1B

5. Shane Victorino, CF

6. Placido Polanco, 3B

7. Freddy Galvis, 2B

8. Brian Schneider, C

9. Joe Blanton, P

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NEW YORK -- One injury after another could deflate a team, but if the Phillies are discouraged by so many of the walking wounded, they are doing a good job putting up a positive front.

In trying to get the pulse of the team following the latest injury news, the players and Charlie Manuel insist they won’t be discouraged.

Roy Halladay will have his shoulder examined on Tuesday. Carlos Ruiz was pulled from the lineup with right hamstring tightness.

Manuel is probably scribbling lineups on a napkin, hoping what he writes will somehow work. Monday, Shane Victorino hit cleanup, the first time in his career he started a game batting fourth.

Yet, back to the original point, that the team certainly wasn’t holding its collective head down after Halladay and Ruiz became the latest to join the injured ranks.

The Phillies say Ruiz is day to day, but with a hamstring, anything is possible. The team is holding its breath on Halladay. Still, the players are conveying a positive attitude and the Phillies played that way in Monday’s 8-4 win over the Mets New York Mets at Citi Field.

“I would say the mood is good,” said Ty Wigginton, who helped by accumulating a career-high six RBIs in the win. “Everybody here, it’s a veteran club and a lot of guys understand these kinds of things happen during the year.”

Then Wigginton made the key statement, one that he followed on this day.

“There are times guys need to step up,” he said. “Just play baseball, it’s a long season.”

It would get a lot longer if Halladay is off for an extended time. And even if Ruiz’s injury isn’t serious, hamstrings can be difficult, especially with the physical beating a catcher takes.

That’s why when the Phillies begin a stretch of nine consecutive games in American League parks beginning June 8, Ruiz might be a viable candidate to be a DH some of those games.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

The bottom line is that the Phillies have to keep grinding because they don’t know when the injured players will return and in the case of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, how effective they will be upon coming back after such long layoffs.

“We have had an unfortunate little stretch here recently,” said John Mayberry Jr., understating the situation just slightly. “I think one of the things I noticed since being with the team that in times like this, somebody is always there to pick up the slack and I think this time will be similar.”

On Monday it was Wigginton and Mayberry, who picked up the slack. Wigginton was 3 for 3 with the six RBIs and Mayberry hit a two-run home run.

What the Phillies truly need is Jimmy Rollins to begin giving the offense a spark. He is hitting .224 with a .284 on base percentage.

Rollins was just 1 for 5 Monday but he did score a run.

The Phillies are now 13-5 when he scores at least one time.

The team can’t depend on a half dozen RBI games from Wigginton too many times.

Sometimes experience is overrated but with the Phillies, especially in these times, it is helpful.

The players and Manuel insist there is no sense of panic. Manuel put it succinctly.

“We definitely are not going to fold the tent and back off,” he said.

No they aren’t. The Phillies still expect to win.

The question is will they have the resources if key components keep going down.

NEW YORK -- The Phillies have issued a new lineup for today’s game at Citi Field against the New York Mets. Catcher Carlos Ruiz, originally slated to hit cleanup, has been pulled due to right hamstring tightness.

“We’re just being cautious with it,” said Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock. “(Brian) Schneider will catch and it’s a day to day thing.”

Proefrock said he thought Ruiz hurt his hamstring during Sunday’s 8-3 loss in St. Louis

“He stayed in (the game) and we took look this morning and decided to take him out of the lineup and give him another day off,” Proefrock said.

Ruiz, was originally slated to bat cleanup. Now Shane Victorino is batting fourth.

“It’s no big deal,” Victorino said. “Nothing will change.”

Here is the new lineup.

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Placido Polanco 3B

3. Hunter Pence, RF

4. Shane Victorino, CF

5. Ty Wigginton, 1B

6. John Mayberry Jr. LF

7. Freddy Galvis, 2B

8. Brian Schneider, C

9. Cole Hamels, P

NEW YORK - A Phillies team official said that Roy Halladay will have his injured shoulder examined tomorrow, but the details are still being worked out.

He has to wait until tomorrow because of the Memorial Day holiday.

According to the team, it is not yet known whether Halladay will be examined in New York or return to Philadelphia. Halladay is with the team in New York for today’s opening of the three-game series with the Mets at Citi Field.

The righthander had to leave after the second inning of Sunday’s 8-3 loss in St. Louis with soreness in the back of his right shoulder.

Halladay took the loss on Sunday, allowing a first-inning grand slam to Yadier Molina. He was lifted after two innings by pitching coach Rich Dubee and Halladay told reporters afterwards he felt it was the right call.

Halladay is 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA this season.

UPDATE

NEW YORK -- With Carlos Ruiz pulled from the lineup due to right hamstring tightness, here is today's new lineup

Here is the new lineup.

1.Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Placido Polanco 3B

3. Hunter Pence, RF

4. Shane Victorino, CF

5. Ty Wigginton, 1B

6. John Mayberry Jr. LF

7. Freddy Galvis, 2B

8. Brian Schneider, C

9. Cole Hamels, P

This was the original lineup before Ruiz was pulled from the lineup.

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS

2. Placido Polanco, 3B

3. Hunter Pence, RF

4. Shane Victorino, CF

5. Ty Wigginton, 1B

6. John Mayberry Jr., LF

7. Freddy Galvis, 2B

8. Brian Schneider, C

9. Cole Hamels, P

EARLIER

NEW YORK -- The Phillies (25-24) had their four-game win streak snapped with Sunday’s 8-3 loss in St. Louis and now begin a three-game series at Citi Field against the New York Mets (27-21). Cole Hamels (7-1, 2.17) faces Jonathon Niese (3-2, 4.29) in the series opener today.

The Phillies are looking to pay back the Mets, who swept them May 7-9 at Citizens Bank Park.

Since the Phillies lost to Miami, 6-2, in Hamels' first start of the season, they have won the last eight games the lefthander has started.

ST. LOUIS -- What started as the most pleasant of series for the Phillies took a seriously wrong turn Sunday when Roy Halladay had to leave his start against the St. Louis Cardinals after just two innings.

The team announced in the fifth inning that he left as a precaution because of right shoulder soreness. He will be reevaluated in the next couple of days.

Halladay, 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA coming into the game, labored through the first inning, throwing 26 pitches and allowing his second grand slam of the month, placing the Phillies in a 4-0 hole. Yadier Molina hit the two-out grand slam after the Cardinals had loaded the bases on two singles and a walk to David Freese.

The grand slam came on a 92 m.p.h. fastball. Halladay returned in the second inning and retired the Cardinals in order on 10 pitches, but it was clear something was wrong when lefthander Joe Savery started warming in the bullpen as the Phillies hit in the top of the third inning.

Halladay's ERA now sits at 3.98, the highest it has been this late in a season since 2007 when he was with Toronto.

ST. LOUIS -- Chase Utley said he sees progress as he continues his quest to return from the knee soreness that has delayed the start of his season for the second straight year.

"Every day, it seems like it's getting a little bit better," the Phillies second baseman said Sunday morning before the Phillies' series finale with the St. Louis Cardinals. "The last couple of days I've pushed it and increased the intensity a little bit and they have responded well, so that's a good sign in my eyes."

After taking only 10 or so groundballs before Thursday's series opener with the Cardinals, Utley handled 25 grounders Friday and around that same number Saturday. The Phillies did not take batting practice before Sunday's game, so Utley was not in the field either.

Utley said the number of ground balls he handles is not as important as the intensity with which he goes after them. He has also spent batting practice tracking balls off hitter's bats when he is not fielding fungos from the coaching staff.

"Just to get that feel back," he said. "I'm moving a little bit quicker, a little bit harder and a little bit more."

A year ago before Utley began his rehab at single-A Clearwater, he could often be seen running hard around the bases. We have not seen that yet, but he said he uses time in the outfield to run and test his knees.

"As far as running around, shagging balls in the outfield, I kind of use that time for agility," Utley said.

Players, of course, have changed positions in the past in order to remove stress from their knees. The most notable player in Phillies history to move to the outfield for that reason was Darren Daulton in 1997.

That's not a move Utley appears to be currently considering.

"I haven't thought about it too much," he said. "All I know is my knees the last week or so have felt better than they have in a while, which is kind of what we've been working toward."

Still, there is no timetable for his return. Asked about the next step, Utley repeated that he was simply encouraged by the progress he has made in the last week. He also said he would remain with the big-league team at least through the three-game series against the New York Mets that begins Monday at Citi Field.

In the meantime, Freddy Galvis remains the second baseman and even Utley is impressed what he has seen from the 22-year-old kid.

"Freddy has done a great job, an outstanding job, better than anyone could have anticipated," Utley said. "Defensively, he's surehanded and he also has a knack for knowing where to play and being in the right positions. He has a good feel for the game and, for being his age, you don't see that too often."

Utley said he was particularly impressed with the game-saving relay throw Galvis made Friday to nail Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina at home plate.

"He didn't really panic, no rushing, it was just another relay throw (to him)," Utley said.

Worley feeling good

Righthander Vance Worley (elbow inflammation) was eligible to come off the disabled list Sunday, but he did not. He said he continues to feel good, but he does not know what his schedule is for this week. It's possible he'll throw a bullpen during the three-game series at Citi Field.

"I'm feeling good and hopefully it stays that way for a while," Worley said.

ST. LOUIS -- After declining comment Friday night about his verbal dugout altercation with pitcher Cliff Lee, Shane Victorino opened up about the incident before Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

"Yeah, everything is fine," the Phillies center fielder said about the heated exchange that was caught on camera. "I have no hard feelings about it. At the time, when emotions are flying high, you let it get to you. When emotions aren't (flying high) you let it go.

"To me, it's just nothing. It's just part of the game. I've seen it with multiple teams and, at the end of the day, we're going to go out there as teammates and be competitors and go out there and protect each other and go out there and win ballgames together as a team."

The verbal disagreement occurred after Victorino lost a David Freese fly ball in the twilight sky at the start of the bottom of the fourth inning during Friday night's 5-3, 10-inning Philies victory. Freese was credited with a triple and scored on Yadier Molina's RBI single, giving St. Louis a 3-2 lead. Things got worse when right fielder Hunter Pence lost a routine fly ball off rookie Matt Adams' bat later in the inning.

Pence said he never saw either fly ball.

"It (stinks)," Victorino said. "It was one of those things. You hope to pick it up and you can't. Before the inning, I looked up and the sky was a little pinkish above the stadium, but I thought it was still dark enough that I'd be fine. Two balls later, 'Oh, (crap).' "

Victorino confirmed that the altercation was about the play in center field.

"That's what we talked about," he said.

Although teammates arguing on camera never looks good, Victorino said it does show two players who care about the outcome.

"Exactly," he said. "It's the competitive state of the game. You never want to see that kind of stuff, but looking at a positive side, you both want to go out there and you both want to win. That's what it is about in the end. You're both competitors and you both want to win the game. Beyond that, it's nothing. You brush it under the rug and it's gone."

Victorino ended up being part of two huge plays that inevitably helped the Phillies pull out their third straight win. After Pence collided with Victorino on the second lost fly ball of the inning, the Phillies center fielder picked up the ball and nailed Molina at first base for the first out of the strange inning.

With the game tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Victorino started the three-part sequence that resulted in the defensive play of the game. He retrieved a ball hit by Adams in the right-center field gap and threw to cutoff man Freddy Galvis, who fed catcher Carlos Ruiz a strike at home plate. Ruiz held on to the ball after a violent collision with Molina for the final out of the inning.

"I wish I had made a better throw on the relay," Victorino said. "I kind of took Freddy to his right a little bit so he had to go and kind of backhand the ball. Other than that, everything was executed perfectly. When you're running out there and trying to get the ball, you're trying to get it in as quick as you can and make the best throw you can. But out of that whole play, the one thing that would have made it easier is if I would have made a better relay. The play would have come together a lot quicker, but, hey, we still got the guy out."

ST. LOUIS -- If it's true that winning cures all, then the Phillies' 5-3, 10-inning win over the St. Louis Cardinals Friday night certainly served as a nice Band-Aid for the controversy that stirred in the visiting team's dugout at Busch Stadium.

Center fielder Shane Victorino and right fielder Hunter Pence each lost balls in the twilight during the bottom of the fourth inning, leading to a run that gave St. Louis a 3-2 lead.

When Cliff Lee returned to the dugout at the end of the inning, the Comcast SportsNet cameras caught the pitcher in the midst of a heated exchange with Victorino.

"They had a little heated words, that's all right," manager Charlie Manuel said after the Phillies won for the second straight night in St. Louis and their third game overall. "Baseball is baseball. It's good sometimes. There's nothing wrong with that. It was no big deal."

Manuel would not reveal the context of the exchange between Lee and Victorino.

"They just didn't see eye to eye on something," Manuel said. "That stays in here."

Lee, winless in seven starts despite a 2.82 ERA, also refused to discuss the incident.

"It's going to stay between us," he said. "I'm not going to talk about it."

Victorino waved off reporters seeking comment.

The bottom of the fourth started with the Phillies' center fielder immediately losing a David Freese fly ball in the twilight sky. The ball caromed off the top of the center-field wall and by the time Victorino retrieved it, Freese was on his way to third with a triple.

Yadier Molina followed with an RBI single that gave St. Loius a 3-2 lead after they had been down 2-0.

Matt Adams followed with a routine fly ball to right field that Pence could not pick up. The ball dropped in for a single, but Victorino kept the situation from getting worse by gunning down Molina at third base for the first out of the inning.

"I didn't see either one," Pence said. "I didn't see his or mine. It's just that twilight time. There's a good 10 minutes a night where the ball and the sky look the same."

Lee escaped without allowing another run and ended up pitching seven strong innings. He was asked if he was frustrated by the two balls that got lost in the twilight.

"It happens," he said. "Obviously when you have two in one inning, it's tough to see out there. You don't see that very often. It was just a fluky kind of inning. Fortunately, we were able to overcome it and win the game."