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The Philadelphia Phillies are two games back of the Atlanta Braves in their division. That’s an unfamiliar spot but good news is coming for the three time defending NL East Champions. As the season winds down it looks like a couple of their best players maybe coming back. The long haul of a baseball season is a bit like a no limit Texas Hold’em poker tournament in that you want your best players (or hands) at the very end. A good run of cards or a hot streak of luck early in a tournament or early in a season doesn’t mean much unless you can close it out late.
When September and October roll around it’s a bit like getting to the final table of the poker tournament, you want the lucky plays to go your way, to have healthy pieces (be they players or a healthy chip stack), and just have an opportunity to play for something meaningful. The Phillies will have a chance for all three as they are recuperating at just the right time.
It’s been an injury ward of a season for the Fighting Phillies. 15 players have been on the disabled list, including Jamie Moyer, Brad Lidge, and Jimmy Rollins. As the second half of August hits, the Phillies are excited about the possible returns of two of their most important players. The two, All-Stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, will be back soon. How soon? Insiders say perhaps as early as this week.
Charlie Manuel is optimistic about the return of Chase Utley. Before the Phillies laced them up against their division rival the New York Mets, Manuel relayed the medical report. The doctor said what, eight weeks? He’s going to be seven-something, so that’s pretty close.”
Utley is recovering from a thumb injury. He tore a ligament playing the Cincinnati Reds, June 28th. Early in July Utley went under the knife and had surgery on his right thumb. Six and a half weeks later, pardon Manuel for being a week off, he was playing in the field for Class-A Clearwater in his first rehab game Saturday night. Utley went 1 for 3.
He will play a couple more games for the minor league team before going back up. The team expected the second baseman to be out until the end of August, putting his recovery ahead of schedule but this is nothing new for Chase who previously had returned ahead of schedule from a broken hand and hip surgery.
This is a dicey injury to return from as some doctors say this type of healing time can’t be rushed. The ligaments need time to adjust to the surgery but the playoffs are around the corner and it’s no surprise Utley is doing everything he can to get back early.
The big Ryan Howard is another matter entirely. It takes a lot of torque to twist his massive body and a bad wheel makes it all the harder when he’s at the plate. Still, Howard felt solid enough to do some light batting practice on Friday night and thinks the ankle might be healed in time.
Manager Charlie Manuel relayed that Howard says he feels good and is chomping at the bit to get back to action. It doesn’t look like Howard will need to drop down to the minors for his rehab like Utley and Manuel thinks Howard might be back as early as this week.. The Phillies are about to begin a 10 game stretch of home games with three games against San Francisco on Tuesday.
The Phillies are a bit like a poker player taking some hits to his stack right before things fell into line. Their depleted chip stack of players is more like a M.A.S.H. unit than a locker room. Still, Philadelphia as they seem to do every year are peaking at the right time even without their stars. They have won 17 of 22 games and are just three back of division-leading Atlanta in the NL East.
Utley and Howard aren’t the only two returning. Catcher Carlos Ruiz missed a game after hurting a quadriceps and Shane Victorino just got off the disabled list after straining a lower abdominal.
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