Phillies Notes: Halladay's status remains murky

A day after Roy Halladay failed to finish two innings and revealed that he had visited a doctor before his start, there was little clarity on the pitcher's status.

When asked what his rotation would be after Monday's day off, pitching coach Rich Dubee said, "I don't know yet." The team's official game notes listed Cole Hamels as Tuesday's starter against Washington, Kyle Kendrick slotted for Wednesday and "TBA" on Thursday.

Tyler Cloyd's scheduled day is Wednesday, so the Phillies already made one shuffle by inserting Kendrick there. Cloyd could pitch Thursday, which is Halladay's next turn. Originally, while the Phillies were in contention and Halladay was healthy, skipping Cloyd was a likelihood.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was not available for comment, a team spokesman said. Manager Charlie Manuel said the team would know more Tuesday.

Halladay indicated Saturday he had "spasms" behind his right shoulder that were examined on Friday by a doctor. The 35-year-old pitcher termed the injury as mild, although he has battled shoulder ailments since spring training. Those, too, were downplayed.

An MRI test was not administered during this most recent examination. When Halladay was disabled with a strained muscle in his shoulder, extensive MRI tests showed small changes to his rotator cuff. Those were attributed to regular wear and tear. Team doctors cleared him after seven weeks on the shelf.

Halladay, who is due $20 million in 2013, labeled his latest malady as "poor timing."

"It's not anything that's long-term," Halladay said Saturday. "I had some stuff that was going on and was checked out. It's nothing they're all that concerned about."

He wants to finish the season by making his final two starts.

"I hope so," Halladay said. ". . . My only concern is that I keep having things like this. I've got to come up with some programs - whether it's less throwing or different arm things or whatever it may be - where I can avoid these types of things. When you're young, you never have them. I need to find a way to adjust to that."

The Phillies will need a fifth starter only once more this season, Saturday at Miami. If they decide to shut down Halladay, the top candidate to replace him would be B.J. Rosenberg. The righty threw a season-high 33 pitches Saturday. He made six starts at triple-A Lehigh Valley and said he would be comfortable stretching out if needed. The Phillies, he said, had not yet broached that possibility with him.

With the pitcher's spot due up in the ninth inning, a fan seated behind the Atlanta dugout yelled, "We want Chipper, Fredi!" Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez probably heard it but did not oblige. Chipper Jones, who rested Sunday, did not make an appearance during his final game in Philadelphia.

He ends his career with a lifetime .331 batting average and 1.036 OPS in 245 games against the Phillies. He mashed 49 home runs, tied for most against any team.

For the first time since returning from the disabled list, Carlos Ruiz started on three consecutive days. Ruiz is hitting .250 with two extra-base hits in 11 games this month. . . . Atlanta (88-65) is a season-high 23 games over .500.