A bad week for the Phillies got worse Thursday morning when the team placed left fielder Raul Ibanez on the disabled list with a groin strain. The injury has been bothering Ibanez for a while, eliminating the possibility that it had anything to do with providing a stool sample. The loss of Ibanez won't help the Phillies reverse a trend that's seen them lose four of their last five games. Until they address the need to upgrade their starting pitching, they'll need all the offense they can get to keep winning games. Ibanez, who leads the team in most offensive categories, is a big part of those efforts.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said that the groin has been bothering Ibanez since April, and the decision to place him on the disabled list was made after watching him struggle to run during Wednesday's 7-1 loss to Toronto. They feared Ibanez would do serious damage if he continued to play with the injured muscle, and he may have an MRI to find out how bad the injury is at this point.
The Phillies recalled John Mayberry from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that he'll be playing right field and batting seventh against the Blue Jays on Thursday. Jayson Werth will slide over to left field.
With Ibanez joining Brad Lidge and Brett Myers on the DL, the Phillies are doing their best to make the Mets feel better about their own injury woes. If the wounds keep mounting, the NL East race may be decided by who has the most players standing.
