Nieves tweaks quad; Mayberry drawing attention?

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ATLANTA – Injuries continue to haunt the Phillies.

Backup catcher Wil Nieves was one of five Phillies to collect three hits in Wednesday’s 10-5 win over Atlanta (see game recap). But Nieves pulled up lame as he legged out a ninth-inning double.

Nieves said he felt a “little pop” in his right quad. He walked gingerly from the field and was replaced by Carlos Ruiz, who was getting a day off.

Will Nieves end up on the disabled list? The Phillies will know more on Thursday. If they need to bring up a catcher, it would likely be Cameron Rupp, who is at Triple A.

“I hope I don’t need to go on the DL,” Nieves said. “I don’t think I will. I’m a quick healer and Chooch will be in there the next few days anyway. I should be good in a couple of days.”

Ben Revere was used as a pinch-hitter after sitting out of the starting lineup for the second straight day with a sore left knee (see story).

With Revere out, John Mayberry Jr. has gotten two straight starts in center field. He drove in three runs with a single and a bases-loaded walk in Wednesday’s game. He also struck out twice with men on base. Mayberry is 16 for 46 (.348) with nine extra-base hits and 15 RBIs over his last 21 games.

Mayberry’s time in the lineup the last two days may have been an unexpected showcase for the reserve outfielder. The Red Sox are on the lookout for outfield depth and have had scouts at several recent Phillies games, including Tuesday night’s. The Yankees are also a team to watch on Mayberry, a plugged-in major-league source said. They had a scout in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Mayberry has been available in trades for months, but the problem now is the Phillies are extremely thin in outfield depth and his bat has been valuable of late. Still, Mayberry could probably be had in the right deal.

Revere’s status for Thursday night’s game in St. Louis won’t be known until closer to game time. Cliff Lee continues to recover from an elbow strain and will likely throw a bullpen session or two during the four days in St. Louis, and third baseman Cody Asche could be activated from the disabled list in the coming days while the team is in St. Louis.

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