Phillies injury update: Gordon, Seanez, Feliz, Benson

Plenty of Phillies are dealing with injuries, so it's time to update how they are doing:

Gordon's Phillie career over? We may have seen the last of Flash in a Phillies uniform. Tom Gordon got a second opinion on his faulty elbow, and it wasn't good news: Flash is likely done for the year. Gordon has chosen to try to rehab his arm rather than have surgery, but there is very little chance he will return to the Phillies this year, if ever. The Phillies have the option to buy out Gordon for 1 million dollars rather than pay him 4.5 million next year, so it looks like we have seen the last of Flash in Philadelphia. This also could be the end of his career, considering his age and the fact that he might have Tommy John surgery if the rehab doesn't go well. Flash hasn't been great over the last year, so many Phillie fans won't be shedding any tears, but when healthy and effective, he made a great late inning option.

Seanez close to returning Rudy Seanez is one reliever not facing such dire circumstances. Seanez pitched in a rehab assignment on Monday and appears ready to come back to the Phillies on Saturday. Seanez was pitching terrible when the Phils put him on the DL, hopefully he just needed to get healthy and he will be useful again. His return will likely force Les Walrond back into the minors, which isn't really a bad thing.

Feliz not ready yet Pedro Feliz has been on the DL since late July, but he still isn't ready to return. Feliz has had back issues, and while he has taken some swings in batting practice, he is still at least a week away from returning. Hopefully he can get back on the field soon, the flailing Phillie offense could really use his bat back in the line-up, and his defense is always excellent. His return would send Mike Cervenak back to the minors where he belongs.

Benson is set, but there's no room Kris Benson may finally be ready to return to the majors, but the Phillies don't need him. Benson has had several good starts in a row for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, but the Phillies, who would have been desperate for Benson's services about a month ago, have no room for him now. For once, the Phillies may even have a surplus of starters. The Phillies have been happy with the way their five starters are pitching, plus they have J.A. Happ ready to step in at any time, and they even have Adam Eaton waiting in the wings along with Benson. So while Benson might be poised to return, don't count on him suiting up for the Phillies this season.

Seanez to the DL

Two days ago I called out Rudy Seanez and how bad he has pitched this month and now it looks like we won't be seeing him for a while. The Phillies placed Seanez on the 15 day disabled list with a shoulder inflammation. Supposedly Seanez hurt himself while making a tag in Thursday's game, but this could also just be a phantom injury to get him off the roster.

The Phillies called up Les Walrond from Triple A to replace Seanez. Walrond isn't a prospect at 31 years old, but he did strike out 17 batters in a start for Lehigh Valley in early July. Walrond previously pitched for the Royals and Cubs, going 25 total innings and putting up an ERA of 7.46.

There has been no word on Flash Gordon, who has been eligible to come off the DL for several days now, but he doesn't appear close to coming back.

Who needs deadline help? Phillies win 5th in a row

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

After doing nothing at the trade deadline today, the Phillies did plenty on the field as they swept the Nationals, winning their fifth game in a row. Thanks to homers by Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins and Kyle Kendrick's second good outing in a row, the Phillies were able to beat the Nationals 8-4. The Phillies got a complete team effort on offense with every position player in the starting line-up getting a hit and scoring or driving in a run.

The final score makes the game seem much closer than it was. With a 6 run lead, Rudy Seanez came into the game in the 9th inning and had troubles, giving up a pair of runs before he was pulled from the game. Seanez has quietly been terrible since the beginning of July, seeing his ERA rise from 2.46 to 3.58 in just a few weeks. Seanez's days on the Phillies are likely numbered. If Flash Gordon ever comes back or if the Phillies can pick up some relief help before the August 31st waiver deadline, then Seanez would have to be the first guy to go.

The Phillies will now have to face a real team again as they travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals. The Phillies will send their three "aces" to the mound for the series, Cole Hamels and two Opening Day pitchers, Joe Blanton and Brett Myers. The Cardinals will also send former Phillie Kyle Lohse to the mound for tomorrow's game against Hamels.

Sorry, still no game highlights. Redlasso is still non-functional and I am looking for another way to get highlights.

Relief is on the way: Phillies Sign Veteran Pitcher Rudy Seanez

After yesterday's implosion, the Phillies are getting proactive in fixing their bullpen. The Phillies have signed veteran right-handed reliever Rudy Seanez. Seanez, 39, is not the savior for the bullpen, but rather a solid addition who strikes out batters at a high rate. Seanez spent last season with the Dodgers, who released him after he struggled this spring with a 7.71 ERA.

Seanez, who has played for 8 different teams in his major league career, had a good season last year in LA. He posted a 3.79 ERA and struck out 73 batters in 76 innings. According to Baseball Prospectus, he was mostly used in low leverage situations last season, meaning he came in a lot of games when his team was up or down by 4 or more runs, so that might lead to his overall numbers being slightly inflated. Nevertheless, he is a great acquisition at this time of year to a bullpen that desperately needs help.

While he's not a lefty, the Phillies finally got the impact reliever they had been seeking all spring. The next question, invariably, is who do they get rid of to make room for Seanez? The two likely candidates are Wes Helms and the recently acquired Tim Lahey. Helms could be released or traded, and Lahey would have to be offered back to the Twins. If they can't unload Helms, I would be fine with the Phils quickly jettisoning Lahey, since it wasn't likely he was going to stick around all year anyway.