Rehab

Robert Gaddy pitched five shutout innings as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons defeated Syracuse, 3-0, in the International League last night. The game was called after 4 1/2 innings, and the second game of a scheduled doubleheader was rained out. Lenny Dykstra completed an injury rehab by going 1 for 2 with a double. Dave Hollins, also finishing a rehab, threw out a runner at the plate from right field in the third inning. READING 7, CANTON-AKRON 4 READING, Pa. - Catcher Tommy Eason slammed two homers and knocked in four runs as Reading won the Eastern League contest.

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora will not be joining the band on its next tour, which begins tonight in New Orleans, because he's entering rehab. Spokesman for the band said he "recently has been drinking too much and wants to get his life together. " Sambora is missing out on some choice scratch. Bon Jovi was the biggest touring act of last year, raking in a whopping $201 million in ticket sales. Hey, Jon Bon Jovi , Lady Tattle is sure she can feather her hair in a Sambora-esque manner if you're looking for a replacement.

Shane Victorino, on a rehabilitation assignment for the Phillies, went 1 for 3 last night in Reading's 3-2 Eastern League win over Connecticut. Camden 6, York 2 L.J. Biernbaum and Brett Bonvechio homered in the opener at Campbell's Field.

Lefthander J.C. Romero said he would pitch in only one rehab game - Tuesday at single-A Lakewood - before being activated from the disabled list. He could return to the Phillies on Wednesday, which is the first day he is eligible to come off the DL. Romero strained his right calf April 18. He will throw a bullpen session and participate in pitchers' fielding practice to test the strength in his calf. He has been throwing to keep his arm strong. "I feel good," Romero said. When he does return, it will be interesting to see how Romero is used with the emergence of Antonio Bastardo, who has allowed only one run in 2011.

LAKEWOOD, N.J. - The Phillies' Shane Victorino, on the disabled list with a strained right calf, went 1 for 5 with a double and run in a rehab start in Lakewood's 5-1 victory last night over the Hickory Crawdads. Victorino was the BlueClaws' designated hitter. Catcher Rod Barajas, also on the DL with a strained right groin, was hitless in three at-bats. Ottawa 5, Buffalo 3 OTTAWA, Ontario - Joe Thurston's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth helped the Lynx down the Bison in an International League game.

Phillies righthander Curt Schilling pitched five shutout innings yesterday at Jack Murphy Stadium. The fact that the stands were empty, of course, means little here. But the fact the batting cage was up and the lineup Schilling faced consisted solely of Randy Ready and Tony Longmire confirmed that, yes, it was only a simulated game. Only a simulated game. And, in its own way, the biggest game Schilling had pitched since his electrifying performance in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series.

Phillies righthander Vicente Padilla had been scheduled to return to the Phillies rotation on Friday in Boston. If everything went well last night in Moosic, Pa., that is. It appears it didn't. Padilla, who has been on the disabled list since May 30 with tendinitis in his right biceps, made a rehab start for triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but left the game after just 33 pitches with elbow soreness. He will be evaluated today. There was no other information available, and it was not clear how the soreness might affect his return.

Phoenix Suns forward Charles Barkley said critics of his summer work ethic are off base and there is no reason for him to apologize for having some fun while spending the offseason in Philadelphia. Barkley, who thought about retiring all of last season because of chronic back trouble, said he worked hard in the offseason, but also had some fun. "I didn't neglect my rehab," Barkley said yesterday. "I told them I was going to Philadelphia and do it, and that was the final decision.

At first it seemed like a great way to promote low- and moderate-income housing: Float millions of dollars in bonds, use the money to make low-interest loans to small private developers and community non-profit groups, then make sure they keep the rents low, from $250 to $350 for a two-bedroom apartment. The goal: to rehab 1,000 properties of one to four units within three years. But 14 months later the official in charge of the Redevelopment Authority's $35 million Small Rental Properties Program admits, "I had no idea it was so complicated.

Mike Grace ranked among the National League leaders in wins, winning percentage and opponents' batting average against when he was placed on the disabled list with shoulder problems on June 7 last year. Based on the way he pitched in his first rehab start for Double A Reading against Trenton last night, there is a chance he could be activated before the first anniversary of that dark day a week from Saturday. Grace, who was on a pitch count, went four innings and threw 58 pitches, 33 for strikes.

ST. LOUIS - Chase Utley took two sessions of batting practice before the Phillies' game Thursday night against the St. Louis Cardinals and manager Charlie Manuel liked what he saw. "I was encouraged with the way the ball was jumping off his bat and how nice he was swinging," Manuel said before his team opened a four-game series against the defending World Series champions at Busch Stadium. "And any time he goes out and takes ground balls, I get encouraged by that. " Utley's BP sessions may have been encouraging, but his work in the field was limited and that's the part of the game that causes the second baseman's creaky left knee the most pain.

Cliff Lee will miss at least one more start as he continues to recover from the oblique strain that has kept him out of game action since April 18. The veteran lefthander has yet to throw a bullpen session since he suffered the injury two days after his third start of the season. Lee has been throwing off of flat ground throughout his time on the disabled list, which leaves the Phillies hopeful that he will not need much in the way of mound work before returning to the active roster.

CLIFF LEE will miss at least one more start as he continues to recover from the left oblique strain that has kept him out of game action since April 18. The lefthander has yet to throw a bullpen session since he suffered the injury 2 days after his third start of the season. Lee has been throwing off of flat ground throughout his time on the disabled list, which leaves the Phillies hopeful he will not need much in the way of mound work before returning to the active roster. "We'll see," pitching coach Rich Dubee said when asked if Lee could be ready to return 5 days from Friday.

A $200 million splurge on Cherry Hill Mall during the depths of the last recession, when cash was poured into a full-blown renovation while many Americans were clinging to every last dime, appears to be paying off four years later, according to financial disclosures Tuesday by its owner, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. Sales per square foot at the mall reached an all-time high of $623 during the quarter that ended March 31, executives of Center City-based PREIT told investors, and a plan to refinance the property this summer could generate yet another payday for the crown retail jewel of Ronald Rubin's real estate empire by helping to pay down $2.3 billion in debt.

PITTSBURGH - Jose Contreras' pitching line in a Thursday rehab outing was a red flag, but general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said there is no reason for concern. Contreras, on the disabled list and rehabilitating from elbow surgery last September, threw just 11 pitches in single-A Clearwater's opening-day game against Dunedin. Only four of his pitches were strikes and two were wild pitches. The 40-year-old righthander started the game for the Threshers, but registered only one out and allowed three runs on two hits, including a home run. He also walked a batter.

WHILE THE Phillies get set to start the season in Pittsburgh, Chase Utley is in Arizona taking the next step in his return from knee trouble. In consultation with the Phillies and their medical staff, Utley will work with his personal therapist in Phoenix beginning Wednesday. The hope, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, is that Utley would join the team some time during its trip out West. The 10-game swing begins April 16 in San Francisco and also includes stops in San Diego and Arizona.

We've seen a lot of housewives on TV - desperate, mobbed up, real - and nowVH1 is throwing a new batch into the fishbowl. "Hollywood Exes," one-hour series airing this summer will star the ex-wives of Eddie Murphy, Prince, R. Kelly, Will Smith and Jose Canseco. The network said that Nicole Murphy, Jessica Canseco, Andrea Kelly, Sheree Fletcher (Smith's ex) and Mayte Garcia (Prince's ex) "want to show the world that they are more than just a trophy wife with a pretty face. " No better way to prove that than star in a reality TV show, right?

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Ryan Howard hobbled to the warning track of Ashburn Field at the Carpenter Complex. Wearing a large walking boot that comes halfway up his left knee, Howard threw a baseball to Phillies head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan. He was back on the field. For 18 days, Howard was a mystery. "I guess it was like a 'Where's Waldo?' type deal," he said. He watched Grapefruit League games on TV in Florida. He popped into the clubhouse occasionally to say hello.

Nissa Blocher didn't have to see the grand three-story twin in West Philadelphia to decide to live there. The then-medical resident trusted her fiance, Victor Brubaker, a contractor and old-house aficionado who had been searching for the right house with good bones. She had only two conditions - that the house have a garage and a way to get into the basement from the outside - and this house had neither. So it goes sometimes. Still, the dignified, circa-1902 classical revival house was within walking distance of Clark Park, a market, a pet store, and several restaurants.

All sorts of dignitaries will be on hand this morning to kick off the 27-month, $50 million project that will transform the plaza west of City Hall and subway areas below. The area had a bit of new turmoil Sunday night, as an Occupy Philadelphia rally and march ended with two arrests over the tearing down of some construction fencing. The protest group's encampment filled the plaza in October and November. Today's lineup of officials includes U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, members of Congress, Mayor Nutter, City Council President Darrell Clarke, and Paul Levy, president of the Center City District, the civic improvement group that spearheaded the initiative and lined up funding.