Polanco and Utley to DL

Well, the news is even worse than expected. Placido Polanco will join Chase Utley on the 15-Day DL. Polanco is suffering from a nagging elbow inflammation issue, while Utley's MRI showed a thumb sprain. It is unclear if either or both will be ready to return in 15 days.

It appears the Phillies will rely on Juan Castro and Wilson Valdez to eat most of the ABs for at least the next several weeks. As the previous post noted, neither is worth a warm bucket of piss with the bat. Hopefully, they'll play solid defense and help the team hold their own until the All-Star Break.

Speaking of the All-Star Game, Utley and Polanco were the two Phillies most likely to start the game in Anaheim in two weeks. Now, it appears that neither will be able to do so for the Charlie Manuel-managed NL squad. Utley has started each of the last 4 games for the NL. The Phils will likely still be well-represented at the game --- Roy Halladay will almost certainly be chosen as a pitcher, while Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard could also earn spots as reserves.

The Phils now have 6 key players on the DL - Utley, Polanco, Happ, Madson, Durbin, and Ruiz. It's hard to win with such a depleted roster, but thankfully none of the injuries seem to be season-threatening.