Perhaps no player on the Phillies has a more difficult time sitting idle than Shane Victorino, but the hyperactive centerfielder has no other choice for the near future after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.
"I hope I can keep my sanity," Victorino said with a smile before the Phils played Arizona at Citizens Bank Park.
Victorino had an MRI exam on Tuesday and was diagnosed with a left abdominal strain. He was hurt Tuesday diving into a base, then aggravated the injury chasing down a fly ball. Victorino left the game in the seventh inning.
"I felt it earlier, but when I accelerated to catch the ball, that's when I felt it again," he said. "I figured I'd better do something."
Victorino's injury prompted the Phillies to call up Domonic Brown, their top prospect from triple-A Lehigh Valley. Jayson Werth took Victorino's spot in center while Brown played right.
While his injury heals, Victorino is not permitted to run or swing a bat. "I get to walk in ice four times a day," he said.
Victorino is the 14th Phillies player to go on the disabled list this season. He joined Chase Utley and Jamie Moyer as players currently on the DL. Manager Charlie Manuel believes Victorino may not be at full strength for three weeks.
"I had that kind of injury," Manuel said. "When I went up to hit, I could feel some burning in my side, and the first pitch I swung at, it really grabbed me and I was out for two or three weeks. I say by the time he comes back to play it'll probably be three weeks."
Victorino is hitting .250 with a career-high 15 home runs and 53 RBIs. He leads the team with 20 stolen bases.
Jimmy Rollins sat out for the second straight game with a bruised left foot and will likely return during the three-game series in Washington that starts Friday.
Rollins, who did not take batting practice, said there was still some swelling but that the foot improved from the day before.
"I told Charlie I could hit or bunt," Rollins said, "but anything else . . ."
Rollins, who batted .389 (7 for 18) with five RBIs during the first four games of the seven-game home stand, fouled a pitch off his foot early in Monday's game but remained in the game and played through the pain.
"I'm not going to put myself through that pain again," he said.
The matchup between Roy Halladay and Arizona's Edwin Jackson was the first between pitchers who had thrown no-hitters in the same season since Nolan Ryan went against Wilson Alvarez in 1991. . . . The Phillies' average attendance entering Wednesday's game was 45,014, second in the majors behind the New York Yankees' 46,068. Wednesday marked the Phils' 90th consecutive sellout.
Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.
