Inflammation

Darrin Fletcher had a memorable return from an eye injury. Fletcher hit two home runs in his first game back to help the Toronto Blue Jays beat the visiting Chicago White Sox, 9-7, last night. Fletcher, hit in the right eye by a ricocheting baseball while he was in a batting cage on May 1 in Seattle, hit the first pitch he saw in the second inning for a home run. The 32-year-old catcher, who originally feared the injury could be career-threatening, gave Toronto a 7-4 lead in the seventh with a two-run homer.

So much for good intentions. After sitting out Sunday's 99-94 victory over Boston with an inflammation in his right knee, 76ers center Theo Ratliff intended to play last night against Charlotte and tonight in Washington. Instead, Ratliff, whose 3.14 blocks-per-game average anks fourth in the NBA this season, made it through only a portion of yesterday's shoot-around. "It was just too sore," Ratliff said after remaining in street clothes for last night's 101-93 loss to the Hornets.

Cole Hamels threw more innings in 2008 than during his entire minor-league career. Now, the Phillies hope that the cost of a lengthy World Series run will not be their young ace's health. Hamels, last year's World Series MVP, departed Clearwater yesterday afternoon, and will have his left elbow examined in Philadelphia this morning by team doctor Michael Ciccotti. The lefthander, 25, said that he has felt tightness and inflammation in the lower part of his elbow through most of spring training.

There have been strains and sprains, tears and blisters. There have been X- rays, bone scans and magnetic resonance imaging tests. There have been examinations of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. There is even an abscessed tooth. The news coming out of the Veterans Stadium trainer's room yesterday, as relayed by club physician Dr. Phillip Marone, came on a scale that ranged from extremely good to mildly discouraging. The best news was that first baseman Ricky Jordan has only an inflammation over the hamate bone at the base of his left hand.

A major study led by Cooper University Hospital suggests a new way to improve dismal survival rates after cardiac arrest: Turn down the patient's oxygen. Stinting on oxygen may seem counterintuitive, since the brain begins to die when deprived of oxygen-rich blood for more than five minutes. But studies in dogs and in premature infants have long shown that too much oxygen can be harmful. The new study, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first solid evidence that this vital gas is also a double-edged therapy after the heart suddenly stops - as it does in 220,000 Americans every year.

Ask Cole Hamels about his goals for the upcoming season and he'll tell you he'd like to be healthy enough to earn a promotion to Philadelphia and make a run at the National League rookie of the year award. There's little doubt that Hamels, the Phillies' top pitching prospect, has the talent to become a candidate for the award. It remains to be seen, however, if he can stay healthy enough to do so. The 22-year-old lefthander has suffered another setback in his recovery from a back injury that derailed his 2005 season and probably cost him a chance to pitch in the majors in September.

The recent pitching form of Tommy Greene can be charted as follows: Thursday in Denver: left game after five-plus innings, partly because of stiffness in his right shoulder. Manager Jim Fregosi said he wasn't concerned. Friday in Cincinnati: flew back to Philadelphia to have precautionary X- rays, which were negative. Told club physician Phillip Marone he was experiencing no pain in his shoulder. Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia: began experiencing pain in his shoulder.

NEW YORK - They pass like ships in the night - the third baseman heads for the disabled list as the closer comes off it. It has been an ongoing theme for the team with the best record in baseball. Which begs the question: How many wins would they have if all those ships had never left port? Placido Polanco was placed on the 15-day DL with lower back inflammation yesterday, on the day Ryan Madson came off. "I'm probably about 90 percent now," Polanco said. "There's still some inflammation in the nerves, but it should get better.

For the most part, ballplayers are a superstitious lot. That's why so many of them recoil when asked to explain a hot streak. It was no surprise, then, that Carlos Ruiz waved his hand and shook his head when someone broached the subject of his recent 11-game hitting streak, which ended Friday in the Phillies' 6-5 loss to Florida, their last game before Hurricane Irene washed out the rest of the series. "Sometimes you feel good at the plate, and sometimes you don't," Ruiz said Saturday.