Phillies fall - and lose Lieber

ST. LOUIS - Charlie Manuel looked as if somebody had just tied an anvil to his ankle and told him to take a swim.

Or, in this case, win.

The Phillies announced after yesterday's 8-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium that an MRI exam had revealed a ruptured tendon in the bottom of Jon Lieber's right foot, which seems likely to end the pitcher's season.

"I don't want to think along those lines," Lieber said.

But Lieber, who had been diagnosed with a strained ankle Wednesday in Cleveland, said he has been told he would lose muscle strength in his right leg if he does not have surgery. He then said it could take six to eight weeks for the tendon to heal without surgery, but then he would need to begin a throwing program.

"I knew it was a little bit more than a tweak, but I didn't think it would be this bad," said the righthander, who was injured Wednesday when he stumbled off the mound to back up catcher Rod Barajas at home plate.

Lieber will get a second opinion tomorrow in Philadelphia.

The Phillies placed him on the 15-day disabled list and recalled righthander Clay Condrey to help in the bullpen. The Phils already needed a starter for Friday's doubleheader against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Now they also need one for Saturday.

Cole Hamels will pitch the series finale today against the Cardinals. Kyle Kendrick will start Tuesday against Cincinnati at the Bank. Jamie Moyer will pitch Wednesday and Adam Eaton on Thursday.

Ruben Amaro Jr., the Phillies' assistant general manager, said they likely will fill those two spots internally.

Is a trade necessary?

"That depends on how guys step up," Amaro said.

The pickings are slim in the minor leagues. The Phillies took Kendrick from double-A Reading when Freddy Garcia landed on the disabled list. Their other choices at the time seemed to be triple-A Ottawa righthanders J.D. Durbin and Zack Segovia. Segovia has been demoted to double A in the meantime, but triple-A lefthander J.A. Happ is healthy again after missing time because of elbow tendinitis.

Happ seems to be a strong candidate. Righthander Carlos Carrasco is the organization's top prospect, but he was just promoted to Reading. Amaro said the other day that Carrasco needs more seasoning.

Amaro emphasized that Brett Myers, the team's opening-day starter, is not a candidate to return to the rotation.

"We're very comfortable with Myers in our bullpen," said Amaro, who also said the team is not considering a four-man rotation. "Our bullpen still is something we need to address. We have two guys [Myers and Tom Gordon] who are coming back and getting healthier. Our feeling is that they're going to be important pieces to the puzzle in the back end of our bullpen."

Lieber joins Garcia, Gordon and Myers on the disabled list. That's $29.5 million of their $95 million payroll (31 percent) on the shelf.

"Hopefully, we can keep it together," Moyer said. "I don't know what our plans are. With that doubleheader in there, it really throws a wrench into the works. I'm glad I'm not involved in those decisions."

Lieber was 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in his last six starts, but the loss will hurt. The Phils have crept into contention in the National League East because of the highest-scoring offense in the league. Their pitching - the Phils have the second-worst ERA in the league - has kept them from moving into first while the Mets and Atlanta Braves spin their wheels.

"I put high expectations on myself to really help this ball club, especially after going through last year," Lieber said. "I know it probably looked like I wasn't doing a very good job this past month, but . . . I don't know what else to say."

Neither does Manuel.

"The team that fills their holes is who's going to win this division," Manuel said. "Five hundred baseball usually doesn't get you into first place. We've got to stay close. We're getting Myers and Gordon back. That definitely makes our bullpen stronger. Then we need to tighten up our starting pitching."

It needs more than tightening, and deep down inside Manuel must know it.

Cardinals 8, Phillies 3. Eaton (7-5) entered yesterday with a 3.38 ERA in his previous eight starts, but allowed eight hits and six runs in 51/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed a three-run home run to Juan Encarnacion in the fourth inning that gave the Cardinals a 4-1 lead and a two-run homer to Chris Duncan in the sixth to make it 6-2.

Extra bases. Myers, who hasn't pitched since May 23 because of a strained right shoulder, threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session. Pitching coach Rich Dubee called it his best performance to date. . . . The Sports Philanthropy Project and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named Moyer as a recipient of the 2007 Steve Patterson Sports Philanthropy Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy. Moyer and his wife, Karen, founded the Moyer Foundation in 2000 to help children in severe distress. Moyer accepted the award at the Associated Press Sports Editors convention here.