Roy Halladay Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks with Strained Lat Muscle

Uh oh.

The Philadelphia Phillies have placed ace Roy Halladay on the 15-day disabled list with a strained lat muscle in his pitching shoulder, reports Jayson Stark.

He is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

It is Halladay’s first trip to the DL since 2009 (groin) and first arm-related DL trip since 2004 (shoulder).

Halladay had clearly been struggling so far this season. He owns a 3.98 ERA through 11 starts, but his 4-5 record leaves much to be desired.

He’s tossed a league-leading 72.1 innings, but he’s struck out just 56 batters.

His 4.00 SO/BB ratio is his lowest rate since 2008.

This trip to the disabled list should be enough to get Halladay back on track, as there are currently no reports of any structural damage.

The Phillies, who are now in a last-place tie with the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, are still two games over .500 and just four games back in the division.

Halladay’s injury doesn’t just impact the well being of the team in the short-term—the long-term could be effected as well.

If this DL stint really hurts the club, then general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. could look to deal Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino to stock up his farm system.

For now, the Phillies will have to deal with the loss of their ace.

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Kyle Kendrick Posts Solid Rebound Start in Place of Cliff Lee

With Cliff Lee on the disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle, Kyle Kendrick has been asked to take his spot in the rotation.

His first start was a disaster. In three innings, he allowed seven runs on 11 hits in a 9-5 loss to the Diamondbacks.

In Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Cubs, Kendrick was much better.

Even though he was credited with the loss, Kendrick pitched well enough to earn a win. Once again, the Phillies failed to score runs, albeit against a great performance from Matt Garza.

Kendrick tossed six innings of three-run (only two were earned) ball in the loss. He allowed five hits and one walk while matching a career high with seven strikeouts.

This is a good sign for the Phillies, as Lee is unlikely to make his next scheduled start on Friday of next week. With Kendrick pitching well in the loss, the Phillies can feel confident about throwing him out there again.

Even with Lee in the rotation, though, the Phillies have been no better at earning wins. The team is 0-3 in games started by Lee and 0-2 in games started by Kendrick. The offense has not done nearly enough to allow either pitcher to earn victories, though each respective starter has pitched well enough to get the win.

Kendrick’s next scheduled start is Friday against the Nationals, and it should prove to be difficult yet again for the Phillies to score against the league’s best pitching staff.

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Cliff Lee Unlikely to Return Next Friday, Phillies Will Stick with Kyle Kendrick

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for Cliff Lee.

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ co-co-ace tossed ten innings of shutout ball in his last start against Matt Cain and the Giants on April 18.

He was subsequently sent to the disabled list just a few days later with a strained left oblique that he suffered while pitching in the 10th inning of that game.

Initial reports suggested that Lee would be able to return on May 4—the first day he would be eligible to return—but now that seems like more of a dream than a reality.

Lee claimed that his long toss on Saturday did not aggravate his oblique, but he also acknowledged the fact that he may not be ready by May 4.

“Haven’t thrown off a mound so I doubt that’s going to happen,” he said before Sunday’s game. “But I don’t know.”

If Lee wanted to pitch that day in Washington, he’d likely have to pitch a bullpen session on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Kyle Kendrick will continue to assume Lee’s spot in the rotation.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, that may not be conducive to winning.

In his first fill-in start for Lee, Kendrick tossed just three innings. He allowed seven runs on 11 hits and one walk, and even saw his ERA jump from 1.93 to 9.39.

Kendrick has been a very effective relief pitcher this season, but he’ll be asked to do more until Lee returns.

Hopefully, that’ll be sooner rather than later.

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Roy Halladay Looks to Avenge First Loss as Phillies Take on Paul Maholm and Cubs

After suffering his first loss of the season against the Padres in his last start, Roy Halladay and the Phillies will take on the Cubs on Friday night at 7:05 ET at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies’ offense has been struggling in April, lacking the big pop usually provided by the likes of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Halladay has risen to the challenge given to him by his inconsistent offense, allowing just five runs over 30 innings.

He owns an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 0.900.

He did struggle a bit in his outing against the Padres, though. Even though he allowed just two runs, Halladay issued four free passes—three in a row in the second inning—and was unable to put hitters away.

With a weak Cubs offense, Halladay will likely cruise and avenge the loss.

Over the course of his career, Halladay has held the Cubs to a line of .265/.272/.425.

Starlin Castro has the most success against Halladay, owning a .556 average through nine at-bats.

His counterpart, Paul Maholm, has faced the Phillies seven times in his career. He owns a 3-2 record and a 4.50 ERA against them.

Look for the Phillies’ offense to come out swinging against the soft-tossing left-hander, as they look to give Halladay the run support necessary for him to get back in the win column.

Each starter in the Phillies’ lineup that has faced Maholm owns an average of at least .286 against him, with Hunter Pence achieving the most success.

In 44 at-bats, Pence has compiled a .318 average with two home runs and nine RBI.

Look for Halladay and the Phillies to play a solid game today, as the offense will get back on track and Halladay will pitch a gem.

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Cliff Lee Placed on 15-Day DL by Philadelphia Phillies with Oblique Strain

Maybe allowing Cliff Lee to go 10 shutout on innings wasn’t such a good idea after all.

Just three days after his incredible performance against the Giants (which the Phillies still lost), Lee has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique muscle.

Lee will be eligible to return on May 4, and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is hopeful that he will only miss his two scheduled starts.

For now, Kyle Kendrick will take Lee’s spot in the rotation. In no way, though, will he be able to replace the consistency that Lee brings to the table.

The Phillies recalled left-handed reliever Joe Savery from Triple-A to take Lee’s spot on the roster. He will join the team on Sunday in San Diego.

Lee became the first pitcher since 2007 to go 10 innings in a start. Aaron Harang tossed 10 innings on July 23 of that year while with the Reds. Roy Halladay also did it earlier that season in April.

Ironically, Lee actually injured himself on a pitch in the 10th.

“He actually did it on a pitch in the 10th when he felt something and it grabbed him on his left side,” Amaro said. “He was sore the next day. It has improved each day, but we’re being very cautious with this. There’s no reason for him to completely blow it out. It’s an injury that if he really pulls it, we could lose him for a long time. We’ll be cautious with him, shut him down, and get him right. Hopefully he only misses a couple of starts.”

Lee actually has a history of groin and abdominal strains, but they appear to be unrelated to this current injury.

All signs point to him being back and ready to go on May 4, but we’ll have to wait and see just to be sure.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Vance Worley Tosses a Gem and Records a Career-High

The Philadelphia Phillies blanked the San Diego Padres Thursday night by a score of 2-0.

On the bump for the Phillies was Vance Worley, and he pitched arguably the best game of his young career against the light-hitting Padres.

Worley tossed seven shutout innings in San Diego, allowing just four hits and three walks while striking out a career-high 11 batters.

His great outing translated to his first win of the 2012 season (1-1), but the fact that he pitched so well is surprising considering the fact that Carlos Ruiz was his catcher, rather than his personal catcher, Brian Schneider.

Another interesting thing to note is the fact that Worley was having problems seeing the signs from Ruiz because his signature goggles kept fogging up as the game progressed.

It got to the point where he even had to call to the dugout for a towel to wipe off the condensation.

No big deal, though—he struck out Mark Kotsay looking following the short timeout.

The Padres threatened a few times in the contest. Worley displayed good, clutch pitching by stranding runners at third in the second, sixth and seventh innings.

With the win at Petco Park, the Phillies have now won 12 straight at the ballpark, the longest active streak for any visiting team. They’re also 23-4 at the stadium all-time.

Chad Qualls and Jonathan Papelbon relieved Worley in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, holding down the lead and finishing off a great performance by the Phillies’ young right-hander.

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Cole Hamels: 3 Prospect Packages That Could Pry Him Away from the Phillies

Cole Hamels is one of the top left-handed pitchers in the game today, which is ironic considering the fact that he’s the No. 3 starter for the Phillies.

It’s likely that he will be the most sought after free agent this winter, and he’ll definitely command a large sum of money.

No matter what teams he is negotiating with, it’s almost a guarantee that Matt Cain’s eight-year, $139.75 million contract will be the starting point.

He’ll probably be worth even more, as lefties have historically earned more than righties.

There’s no guarantee that the Phillies will be able to resign him, as they already have two other $20 million pitchers in the rotation.

In addition, Shane Victorino is a free agent this winter. The Phillies would be wise to retain him. He is a catalyst in an aging lineup that doesn’t have much else in the way of speed.

It’s unlikely, but the Phillies could consider shopping Hamels at the deadline.

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Report: Pat Burrell Will Sign One-Day Contract to Retire with the Phillies

Even though Pat Burrell hasn’t been a member of the Philadelphia Phillies since the 2008 season, it is a sad day in Philadelphia, as “Pat the Bat” has announced that he’s ready to retire.

Paul Hagen of MLB.com reports that Burrell has signed a one-day contract with Philadelphia to retire with the team that he saw the most success with over the course of his 12-year career.

Burrell last played on September 28, 2011 at AT&T Park as a San Francisco Giant against the Colorado Rockies.  Manager Bruce Bochy allowed him to start and bat cleanup in the game, knowing that it would likely be Burrell’s last game before retirement.

He lined a single to left field in his first at-bat, and then took his position in the seventh inning before being called back to the dugout by Bochy. 

A standing ovation and a curtain call were both well deserved, as Burrell has been nothing but a stand-up guy in his time in the game.

His playing career began when the Phillies drafted him No. 1 overall back in 1998.

It’s no secret as to why he earned his nickname, as he ranks fourth in Phillies history in home runs (251), fifth in walks (785), eighth in RBI (827) and ninth in extra-base hits (518). (via Hagen).

Burrell’s career will officially end during the May 18-20 series with the Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park. His one-day contract will be signed then, and he will be throwing out the first pitch on May 19.

He’ll also be available for autographs in the Hall of Fame Club.

The Phillies may not have won the 2008 World Series without the heroics of Burrell, as his seventh-inning double in Game 5 of the series turned into the winning run.

Although Burrell will officially retire from playing on May 19, he is far from done with the game.

He currently works as a special assistant to Giants general manager Brian Sabean, as well as a special assignment scout.

Burrell will retire as one of the most beloved Phillies of all time, and “Pat the Bat” will always be remembered as the powerful left fielder who led the team to its second World Series title in history. 

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