Saturday, May 28, 2011
Posted: 9:05 p.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
NEW YORKThe way Ross Gload sees it, his hip cant get any worse. Then again, its not going to get any better, either.
Some days are better than others, the Phils lefty pinch hitter said prior to Saturdays game at Citi Field.
But even those bad days shouldnt be enough to sideline Gload for any significant amount of time, he says. Though he was unavailable to pinch hit in last Tuesdays loss to the Reds at the Bank, Gload has been called on to pinch hit twice since, including in Friday nights 6-4 victory over the Mets where he delivered a single in the game-breaking ninth inning.
Still, Gload says he is unsure of the severity of the injury aside from the labral tear in the right hip. He also knows that its not like a strained hamstring or calf in that rest wont help itnor will playing on it hurt.
Fans will remember that Chase Utley played through a large portion of the 2008 season with a torn labrum in his hip before undergoing off-season surgery. When asked if he has the same injury as his teammate or if he tapped into Utleys wealth of knowledge on the subject, Gload said he had not.
MLB
Chase has his own stuff to worry about so I kind of leave him alone, Gload said.
According to manager Charlie Manuel, Gload can either have season-ending surgery or play through the injury. As that goes, Gload says he is ready to play the field if Manuel needs him, which, incidentally, is how he got injured in the first place. The injury came on May 19 when Gload started in rightfield against the Rockies at the Bank, according to Manuel.
However, if the manager can get away with using one guy strictly as a pinch hitter, its Gload.
Gload is a good pinch hitter. He gives you a good, quality at-bat all the time, Manuel said. He has an idea. Like last night he battled and battled and stayed alive and wasnt trying to do a whole lot with the ball and stroked a single to right field. It was a professional at-bat and thats hard to find.
Hes more apt to do that more than anyone I know. He takes a lot of hitting and he doesnt try to do a whole lot, he just has a good, quality at-bat.
Gload has appeared in 29 games this season with three starts. Hes batted 11 for 36 (.306) with four RBIs, but no extra-base hits. Nevertheless, at least for the rest of the season, his plan remains simple.
Just get through the year and then see what it needs, Gload said.
Worley ready
Rookie Vance Worley will take the ball for the second straight start on Sunday afternoon and says he expects things to go much more smoothly than they did in his previous outing. In that one, Worley lasted just five innings and complained that he was a bit tired after the game.
The reason for the tiredness was that Worley claims he was not properly stretched out. After starting six games at the beginning of the season between Triple A and the majors, Worley spent nearly two weeks as a reliever for the Phillies. When he was optioned to Lehigh Valley, Worley was re-inserted to the rotation, but went just three innings in his first start.
It was a rough outing down there and I went deeper in the game up here, which is good, Worley said.
However, with Joe Blanton out until the end of July, Worley will get a chance to hold down a spot in the rotation. So to ensure that he could hold up a little better in Sundays outing, Worley says he performed a pair of between-starts bullpen sessions when one is typically the norm.
Every start matters. Every game counts, Worley said. If I get these guys out well have a shot to win.
Needless to say, Manuel believes things will go better the next time out.
I expect him to be sharper, Manuel said. Yes I do.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com
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