Game 59: No Rollins and a plethora of links
PITTSBURGH -- The Phillies will attempt to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Pirates without Jimmy Rollins. Their shortstop and leadoff hitter fouled a ball off the inside of his right kneecap Saturday night and had a pronounced limp in the clubhouse after the game.
Game 59: No Rollins and a plethora of links
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH -- The Phillies will attempt to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Pirates without Jimmy Rollins. Their shortstop and leadoff hitter fouled a ball off the inside of his right kneecap Saturday night and had a pronounced limp in the clubhouse after the game.
Rollins did not think it would be a disabled list situation, but the Phillies will monitor the swelling in his knee. If it does not subside over the next few days, there could be a larger problem at hand.
Rollins was injured in the first inning but still managed the only extra-base hit off Charlie Morton and stayed in the game. During the bottom of the second inning, Rollins knew he had to come out.
"I was like, please don't hit me a ball," Rollins said. "At that point, I was a liability. I can't do that."
The Phillies lineup as they try to prevent the Pirates from getting to .500 this late in a season for the first time since June 11, 2005:
1. Shane Victorino 8
2. Placido Polanco 5
3. Chase Utley 4
4. Ryan Howard 3
5. Raul Ibanez 7
6. Carlos Ruiz 2
7. Domonic Brown 9
8. Wilson Valdez 6
9. Roy Halladay 1
***
The best Phillies coverage you can find is in today's Inquirer, just like every Sunday. (And the rest of the week isn't bad either.)
-- People may take the baseball draft for granted because it lacks the flair of the NFL and NBA draft, but no one in the Phillies front office thinks that, Bob Brookover writes. Just look at the current roster.
-- The most important member of the front office you've never heard of? Try Marti Wolever, who has run the Phillies' draft since 2002. He's had great success.
-- The Phillies are not broke, columnist Phil Sheridan writes, but the cost of winning could catch up. The solution: More money from Comcast.
-- If you want to relive Saturday's loss at the hands of Charlie Morton, read today's game story. And the notebook captures a whirlwind 24 hours for John Mayberry Jr.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
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The only reason the Inky has the best sunday phils coverage is cause there is no daily news on sunday— DogfightingAficionado- You look at this lineup and think: Why can't it score runs? I know most of our guys are 30-plus, but they're not 38-plus, like the Yankees. Let's go!— eman
Comment removed.- Sorry that Jimmy's hurt...but this is the line-up I want to see. Shane in lead-off, Ibanez in 5th and Chooch in 6th!! And...Utley came back too soon.— bingbangbong
- @ thigh_high_licker - Yeah, Charlie is an idiot for not recognizing this team's lengthy track-record of scoring 10 runs a game with Victorino leading off and Ibanez hitting 5th...— PhillyPhan4for4
- rollins (.240) could use a couple of days off. he's just not productive anymore.— snakeplissken
- We were talking a few days ago and I and others said, they would lose two. If Roy cannot stop this slide, the Mets will continue it because...they are actually hitting again. This team looks ...a bit discombobulated. I do not know why. But, perhaps some trades just to shake up the chemistry would help. The bottom of the barrel teams might have one power hitter who they cannot afford. That is the guy the Phils should target and also , time to do a bit of shuffling on the pen, JC included. As to Jimmy, he is a great fielder and now....Yikes.— Koons
- The Phils are in one of those unwatchable stretches right now. Good time to miss a few games until they learn hot to get the bat on the ball.— Fan74
- Good. While you're at it, buy him a one-way bus tickey outa-herrre. Howard too. And Ibanez. And Chase Mendoza. Losers.— n62
- The offense needs to fix this...we got some star pitching, but there mentality has got to be leaning on frustrated...I'm sure they didn't think they were gonna have to drag this team through the season.
I love the org. and think highly of the people in charge, but unfortunately they allow the players the run themselves to much. They will let this keep going forever, and just wait for the players to fix it...
It happens every year...we go into huge slumps for extended periods of time and we just have to put up with it and hope they'll turn it on at the end again.
This club is really hard to watch, because as soon as our aces give up more than 1 run, the feeling of losing is definitely there...And the offense is just keep banging their heads against the wall...And Wheels is going to keep talking...— MFPhils - I wouldn't be upset if the following aren't on the team next year: rollins(i'd sign reyes),utley, ibanez, francisco, romero, blanton, baez, lidge, valdez(yet to see him hit a ball into the outfield), martinez. The phils need a youth movement.
This team looks dead emotionally. They looked the same way against the Giants in the NLCS. This team gets depressed if the ball isn't flying out the park.— franknbeans - I never saw a call like that. Why is Angel a MLB ump? The answer is he isn't. Selig does not have the guts to do anything about it. He just knows how to water down the playoffs.— Don w
- Said it before---trade needed to shake things up---Blanton. Raul and Rizzotti to Yanks for switch-hitting OF Nick Swisher. Put him in LF and Brown in RF. Hitting begins. End of story, morning glory.— Romus
- Romus, kindly explain why Yanks want a bad arm, a high priced senior citizen and Dr Strangeglove ?— NewMick314
- 60 day DL sounds about right.— drunk13
- SO many dummies posting tonight.— RhondaBillings
