Stutes injures back
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Stutes injures back
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS -- The last casualty on a road trip that could not end soon enough was rookie righthander Michael Stutes. He was the first reliever used Tuesday night and lasted three pitches before needing to leave the game.
Stutes said he felt burning in his lower back after throwing his second pitch, a 93 m.p.h. fastball to Lance Berkman. He tried to pitch through it, threw another 93 m.p.h. fastball and then the pain was too much.
The Phillies are unsure if Stutes will require the disabled list. He will see a doctor when the team returns home Wednesday.
"I don't know," Stutes said. "I've never had an injury before. I guess we'll figure it out [Wednesday]. Hopefully it's just a freak thing where I just strained something and I'll wake up tomorrow feeling good."
Stutes said he felt fine warming up in the bullpen and did not feel any pain until the Berkman at-bat.
It threw a wrench into Charlie Manuel's bullpen plan after Roy Oswalt gave him five innings while on a pitch count. Manuel said he had hoped to squeeze two innings out of Stutes.
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Mayberry should be starting and batting 5th. Ibanez is adequate to come off the bench and sub in LF. Francisco has too much pressure at 5 and could be an adequate 7 hitter a la 2008 Pedro Feliz (If you dont bring up Brown). If Chase comes back close to Healthy, youre O lineup isnt bad: JRoll/Poly/Chase/Howard/Mayberry/Vic/BenFran/Chooch/Ptchr- ONCE AGAIN, WHAT IS WITH THE CONDITIONING/TRAINERS IN THIS ORGANIZATION? INJURY AFTER INJURY AFTER INJURY---- SOMETHING IS AMISS HERE!— DONDEN31
- It doesn't matter who you hire as a hitting coach when he's been overrule by the self-proclaimed hitting guru, who happens to oversee the whole team and whose philosophy about hitting is swinging hard all the time, and for the fences. (You heard the guys in the booth saying yesterday Charlie couldn't understand how Harmon Killebrew didn't hit a HR everty time out, or something like that?)— EL Zorro
- It is called having the oldest team in baseball and having played the most baseball games since 2007. This is why we are breaking down. I don't think it has much to do with the training staff.— kwasi2323
- El Z, you are absolutely right. As long as UC as at the helm, the players will not play small ball manufacturing runs, keep swinging for the fences, and his loyalty to his veterans...— M60tanker
- Not so fast all you Chase lovers,this offense is beyond his control.This team has been dying on the vine since last summer.Chase won`t be the answer,so get over this soon.RAJ made a big mistake in not looking for a bat,instead he goes after another pitcher.And oh by the way-The two biggest "aces"are 7-7 now.Third place my friends and no playoffs this year.— dtowndestroyer
- We are the ONLY team in baseball with an analyst that never played the game. Wheeler is horrible.He obviously knows the game,what to do in every situation.Thank God for the mute button. I have the extra innings package and listen to the opposing team's broadcast whenever possible. Terrible!!— t4tuck
- This many injuries in one season could be written off as a fluke. Two seasons in a row, though, is a trend that points to a flaw in the training and conditioning of this team. Not Utley's knee, which is the result of wear and tear, but the plethora of strains and pulls and back problems. No doubt the age of the team is also a likely factor. And don't count out overuse, especially when it comes to the pitching staff. Uncle Cholly rides his horses into the ground on the mound. (AND, ditto on Chris Wheeler. He is horrible, as is Gary Matthews, who each season latches on to one or two comments and repeats them for every hitter all year -- "quick feet", for example)— Mr. Baseball
Comment removed.- I just hope this dont mean the return of david hernia!
dannies, fat boy joe, and martinez cant play.
— depressed - The Phillies need to do something about their hitting, be it firing a coach or whatever. The team OPS is .691...their lowest since 1991. Also, I think they might need to revamp that training/health/conditioning staff.— slovak34
- These comments crack me up. For those of you new to MLB baseball, it's a 162 game marathon, not a 10 game sprint. Their pitching is excellent, their defense is the best in MLB, and their hitting will come around when the injuries heal and the weather warms up. After the Phillies track record over the past 4 seasons, you should all know better than to panic. Chill out....— Phront_Runner
- Tough home stand coming up. The immediate keys to the offense are probably Victorino's return and Chase finally making a major league appearance. But it sounds like there's no guarantee that will happen during the home stand.— s
- Agree with Phront Runner. Can't believe the guy who thinks we'll finish third! Are you serious?!?— otown philly fan
- I don't think the past 4 seasons guarantee anything this year. The Braves and Marlins are both playing well. But it's also too early to jump ship. They really need to see a full, healthy lineup with Chase in it before they can judge any needs for a trade. Probably also with Brown in the mix and Mayberry starting over Francisco if Ben doesn't get something going. They're also going to have to change something in the bullpen. Baez/Romero need to be addressed at some level ... hard to say exactly how (not Worley IMO). When Lidge comes back (assuming he does) my guess is Baez goes and they go with Stutes and Romero, using Romero in very limited one-batter type roles with Bastardo being the primary lefty.— s
