Pair of scares a reminder of 2008-09 health fortunes

News of Joe Blanton’s abdominal muscle pull came hours after team physician Michael Ciccotti revealed that Brad Lidge received a cortisone shot in his surgically repaired elbow.

Phillies trainer Scott Sheridan will have his work cut out for him right out of the chute if he is to win back-to-back Dick Martin Awards, handed out by Baseball Prospectus each year for medical staff excellence. “The Phillies three-year and five-year averages for both days and dollars lost to the DL are among the many reasons this team is taking home the trophy,” Will Carroll wrote in November. “In just the third year after taking over from long-time trainer Jeff Cooper, Sheridan’s staff is a relatively new one, but it’s already considered one of the best in the business. The health of the team and, just as important, the management of the injuries they did have helped the Phillies get to baseball's pinnacle in both seasons.”

Best in the business, or just lucky? Phillies players spent a combined 530 days on the DL last season, third fewest in baseball, following a year of good health fortunes during their championship run in '08. The line-up, rotation and bullpen remained mostly intact from start to finish. Compare that to the ’09 Mets, who threw away 1,451 days to the DL, not to mention $43.73 million, nearly 35 percent of their total payroll, according to Baseball Prospectus.

Blanton, who allowed 11 runs in a Triple-A game Monday, will be reexamined by Ciccotti today. Yesterday, Ciccotti said the discomfort in Lidge’s elbow is unrelated to offseason surgery.

Let’s face it: the Phillies wouldn’t be where they are today if they hadn't stayed in the pink, and it would only take a reconstructive surgery or two to throw a major wrench into their title hopes, for 2010 and beyond.

Now go knock on wood. (And vote for Beerleaguer tonight at 6 p.m.)

Comments

[Robby J]

KK may now join the rotation through the back door. I think he can hold the fort for Blanton re: numbers. Any thoughts?

[TNA]

This is a great issue. As health seems to play as large a role as any in team performances.

There are different levels of "health". You have people with broken parts that simply can't play. But similarly to what Halladay said recently about pitchers' health and stuff on any given pitching start, players generally probably feel 100% for about 15% of the season, like crap for another 15%, and somewhere in the middle for the remaining 70%.

My take is that the Phillies have an unusually stout bunch that can perform well even when they're not 100%. More importantly, as a team, they've generally got the culture of a clubhouse that refuses to accept injuries as an excuse. Utley, Vic, Lidge and Ibanez are great examples of this. Even when they've got some injuries, they have had the luck and fortitude to still perform at a high level. Although there's probably little way to back this up with evidence, it's possible that the same injuries to other, less mentally and physically stout players, doesn't cause the same drop-off in performance to players like Utley and the rest of the Phillies team.

It would be great to read an interview with any of the Phillies trainers/doctors who have worked with other baseball teams to get their perspective on this.

[Meyer]

Maybe the longer term contracts have something to do with the shorter DL stints or am I too foolish this morning.

[J. Weitzel]

It will be interesting to see how they fill the final spot in the bullpen temporarily. They haven't really been looking at anyone else. I would guess Drew Carpenter since he's on the 40 man. Pretty decent spring. Better than Escalona's spring.

[TNA]

Robby - I think another question is if Blanton does go on the DL, how they set up their rotation. The 5th starter skips the first rotation and then gets to pitch against the Nats and then Marlins I believe. Does Manuel slot in KK in the 4th slot, or whatever slot that ensures that Moyer starts against the Marlins? That said, Moyer got killed in a game against the Marlins last year. So that tide may be turning.

[Dan in Philly]

I said it before and I'll say it again: This team is better if Moyer is an effective 5th starter. The odds of not having any of our pitchers miss time due to injury is almost zero. We're lucky to have KK who seems to be ready to step in. Maybe he'll go all Happ on us...

[thephaithful]

tna: "My take is that the Phillies have an unusually stout bunch that can perform well even when they're not 100%."

Remember when Howard was in the hospital at 3am before the Orioles game getting treated for a severe flu which ended his consecutive start streak? Phils were in an awful slump during interleague(big surprise) and Howard was put into to pinch hit against Danys Baez which for some reason was not replaced by a LHP, and he cranked a ball into the bullpen to put the Phils up 5-3.

Your quote made me think of that immediately. And then I remember Madson blowing the save anyway...d'oh.

[joe l]

thephaithful - what a great memory from last season.

[A-Train]

WOW...11 runs...is that right? I've been away for a couple of days. Hadn't heard that. How could anyone be left in a game long enough to give up 11 runs?

[limoguy]

There is no good time for a SP to have an abdominal muscle pull but there are worse times than this.

This does increase the potential for early season drama, however. Somebody other than Blanton may have to start some games (KK presumably) and somebody other than Lidge will have to close.

Can't wait to see how it all turns out. It all begins in about 4 days, 4 hours.

[A-Train]

I'm hoping Jamie gets the game 3 start so he faces the Nats twice in the first 2 weeks. I think he'll do better vs. them. IMO.

[rex]

Blanton DL 3-6 weeks via Zolecki.

sadly it doesn't look like an april fools joke.

[doubleh]

Per Zolecki, Blanton out 3-6 weeks with mild oblique strain. Well, that sucks. April Fools? (she asks, pleadingly)

[Meyer]

Marlins may have figured out Moyer. Mississippi one, Mississippi two, get ready to swing.