Skip to content
Phillies
Link copied to clipboard

Phillies' Revere returns to starting lineup

Ben Revere says he's getting 'energy back' after missing games because of food-related illness.

Ben Revere follows through during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Miami, Thursday, May 22, 2014. (Alan Diaz/AP)
Ben Revere follows through during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins in Miami, Thursday, May 22, 2014. (Alan Diaz/AP)Read more

MIAMI - Ben Revere wasn't the latest victim of Shake Shack, like his manager Ryne Sandberg the weekend before.

Revere said the culprit of his diminished energy and 10-pound weight loss last weekend was a bad batch of spinach. He showed up to the ballpark last Friday and immediately got sick.

On Saturday, he tried to eat soup, and later, bread, but was unable to keep anything down.

"They had to keep me out of the clubhouse," Revere said, "so no one else would catch it."

Yesterday morning, Revere said he finally felt back to his normal strength level while taking pregame batting practice in the indoor cage next to the the visiting clubhouse at Marlins Park. His name was also back in the starting lineup for the first time in over a week.

Revere sat out the entire weekend series at home against the Cincinnati Reds and was limited to one at-bat in the first two games in Miami.

"The ball I hit [Wednesday night] was probably the hardest ball I'd hit in a while," Revere said of a flyout to center in an eighth-inning pinch-hit appearance. "I finally feel like I'm getting my energy back."

Revere's return to the lineup in yesterday's matinee came in a somewhat unfamiliar spot: He was slotted eighth in Sandberg's lineup. It was the lowest Revere has hit in the order since batting seventh on July 3 last year, but not the lowest he has hit with the Phillies - Revere batted ninth for two games last May in Cleveland.

Revere hit from the leadoff position in his first 30 starts this season, but Jimmy Rollins has taken off since moving into the lineup's top spot. Rollins is hitting .333 (7-for-21) with two home runs, a double and six walks in the last six games as the leadoff man.

Revere, meanwhile, entered yesterday with a .209 OBP in May. He is hitting hitting .196 (9-for-46) in 14 games this month after hitting .286/301 in 23 games in April.

"I'm trying to get my rhythm going again," Revere said after pregame BP. "I was kind of struggling a little bit, but I just have to make sure I put the ball in play, eventually I'll start finding those holes. It's good to get some at-bats, get out there and try to help my team win."

Revere went 1-for-4 yesterday with a single. He also reached base on an error.

Surgery avoided

For the second time in 2 days, a key piece of the Phillies' 2013 starting rotation avoided surgery.

A day after Cliff Lee was diagnosed with a Grade 1/2 left elbow strain, righthander Jonathan Pettibone was examined by renowned orthopedic surgeon James Andrews on Wednesday. Pettibone, who has battled shoulder troubles since last summer, has a small tear and will have a platelet-rich plasma injection.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Pettibone is scheduled to resume throwing on May 31.

"I don't have any timeline after that," Amaro said. "It'll just depend on how he feels, how he's progressing."

Pettibone, 23, went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 18 starts as a rookie last season. He was 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts with the Phillies this season and 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA in five starts at Triple A Lehigh Valley.

After joining the Phillies rotation in April of 2013, Pettibone missed the season's final 2 months with a right shoulder strain. He experienced soreness again early in spring training and had a cortisone shot to combat the pain.

"A lot of guys have had [tears] and pitched through them," Amaro said. "A lot of that depends on the player and where the tear is."

Buchanan up

As expected, David Buchanan will be called up from Triple A Lehigh Valley to start tomorrow's game against the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies made Buchanan's start official following yesterday game. Buchanan will jump into the rotation spot left vacant by Cliff Lee, who was placed on the 15-day DL on Tuesday night with a left elbow strain.

Buchanan, 25, was 5-1 with a 3.98 ERA in nine starts for the IronPigs. The Phillies will make a corresponding move to open a spot on the 25-man roster for Buchanan before tomorrow's game.

Phillers

Jimmy Rollins has hit safely in five straight games. Rollins' third-inning single was the 2,218th hit of his career, moving him ahead of Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn and into sole possession of second place on the Phillies all-time hit list. Rollins is 16 hits away from tying Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (2,234 hits) . . .

After hitting seven home runs in his first 136 plate appearances (32 games), Ryan Howard is homeless in his last 50 trips to the plate. Howard, who went 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and a walk yesterday, is hitting .250 (10-for-40) with five RBI during that 11-game stretch without a home run . . .

The Phillies return home today for the beginning of a season-long, 11-game homestand against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies and New York Mets. First up: the Dodgers and two-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 4.43) tonight. The Phillies' Roberto Hernandez (2-1, 3.98) makes his first appearance since May 16, and his first start since May 9.