Chase Utley and Placido Polanco were both placed on the DL today. Utley reportedly has a thumb sprain, but the extent of the injury is yet unknown. Polanco has had recurring elbow problems since being drilled in the elbow by Tim Hudson in an April game with the Braves. Greg Dobbs, an adventure at third, has been recalled from Lehigh Valley. So has Brian Bocock, a defensive dazzler at short who cannot hit a lick.
It's going to be some kind of scary line-up for at least the next two weeks. Not to mention the defense. Time for Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez to step it up big time. I suppose that Victorino will go back to lead-off, where he has struggled, and Rollins to the third spot, followed by Howard, Werth, and Ibanez. Then Dobbs? Schneider in the eighth spot, then the pitcher. That leaves Valdez batting second. Or flip-flop Dobbs and Valdez? It looks ugly no matter how you do it. I'd rather have Rollins batting lead-off, every other regular more or less in place, and just let the bottom of the order be the black hole that it indefensibly is.
Utley and Polanco join Carlos Ruiz, Ryan Madson, J.A. Happ, Chad Durbin, and Antonio Bastardo on the DL. Just one of those things.
