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As was expected, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is headed to the disabled list with a calf injury. Rollins felt pain during warm ups prior to the Phillies' home opener on Monday and was quickly removed from the starting line up. The calf tear occurred just moments after the dramatic entry of the team from the street behind the ballpark, through Ashburn Alley and a crowd of people forming an aisle from the outfield wall toward the infield, and following the introduction of the roster & starting lineup, before the sell out crowd. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel appeared on Sirius XM MLB Radio today and confirmed Rollins' status and stated that no precise time frame was known for his return. Infielder Wilson Valdez will be called up to take J-Roll's place on the roster. Valdez is 10-for-22 (.455 avg) with 5 RBI in 5 games thus far for triple A level Lehigh Valley. General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr., speaking to the media today, stated the team expects a 2-4 week recovery fo...

PhoulBallz.com's favorite Phillies author, Rich Westcott, has returned with another book, Back Again: The Story of the 2009 Phillies . The latest book by Westcott looks into the background of the darling of the city, those pennant winning Phillies. The book details all the highlights of the first back-to-back National League World Series participants since the Reds did it in the 1970's. It follows the Phillies from Opening Day through their solid postseason run. The book is a meaningful trip down memory lane with that tremendous 2009 Phillies team. Chapters in the book include recognition of the new Golden Era, a passage on manager Charlie Manuel, one on Moyer's 250th win in the Majors, one on the passing of legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas, detailed entries covering every aspect of the 2009 postseason and surprisingly there is a full analysis of the chain of events that brought Roy Halladay to the Phillies. It also includes a foreword written by Phils broadcaster Tom McC...

Opening day ceremonies had been completed, the lineups had been announced and the players took the field to warm up, while United States Navy Leap Frogs parachuted into short centerfield to deliver the first balls to the field. During sprint and stretch time, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins felt pain in his right calf muscle and was quickly replaced as the leadoff hitter in the Phillies batting order by Juan Castro. Some folks have blown off any worry about about Brad Lidge's current injury and delayed debut to the season for Brad Lidge, as he had a similar set back in 2008 and parlayed that into a "perfect" season and the Phillies won the World Series. Well allow me to remind you that Rollins experienced an injury (to his ankle) and a trip to the disabled list in April 2008, returned in May, and that same championship result happened. Omens? Perhaps. With a MRI scheduled for today, Jimmy's Red Bull promoted "longest batted ball" record stunt was postponed...

On this off day/built-in rain date for the home opener, PhoulBallz brings you a few pictures taken at yesterday's home opener. The Phillies players make their way up the street toward the ballpark, where they entered through Ashburn Alley to take the field. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel raised the National League Champions flag from Ashburn Alley. Pregame introductions taking place prior to first pitch. --------------------------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

It's been a full year since Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas passed away preparing to do the job he loved and millions of people around the country loved him for. His passing was one of those moments that many people will remember where they were when it happened. The Phillies lost their voice that day. I long considered Harry Kalas to be more of a Phillie than any of the players who had worn the uniform in many years. You are missed by many, Harry. ---------------------------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

Perhaps you've seen Chan Ho Park's naive declaration about his very own bathroom related issues. If you haven't, click here to view his comments about that. Things work out for the best sometimes, as Park's recent explosive ailment has swiftly resulted in a brand new endorsement deal for the former Phillie and current Yankee. Hoping to reach the Korean and Asian-American demographic, Imodium has brought on the veteran pitcher to market their product. What? It's funny?! --------------------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

For the second straight week, the Nationals & Phillies will meet up for a three game series, but this time it will be in Philadelphia. The Nationals arrive in town fresh off a series win over the Metropolitans in New York, having won 2 of 3 games there. The Phillies will be making their 2010 home debut. Read ahead for information on the pitching match ups and other key statistics. Monday, 3:05pm. Jason Marquis (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (0-1, 13.50 ERA). These two pitchers met last week in Washington, and the Phillies were victorious. Marquis has a 5-4 record with a 4.83 ERA in 20 career games against the Phils. Chase Utley is 10-for-21 (.476 avg) against Marquis in his career. Brian Schneider is just 1-for-21 (.048 avg) in his career against Marquis. Hamels is 8-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 16 career starts against the Nats. At home in his career, Hamels is 27-17 with a 3.43 ERA and a .232 batting avg. against. In 9 day starts last season, Hamels had a record of 0-6 with a 5.44 ERA....

Straight from the Phillies, here is the complete itinerary for the Phillies' home opener on Monday. 10:00 a.m. - Majestic Clubhouse Store opens. 12:00 p.m. - Opening Day Block Party, Citizens Bank Way: Plenty of music featuring the popular Mr. Greengenes, as well as food and fun! Party will be open to all fans. 12:05 p.m. - All gates open. All fans will receive a 2'x3' replica of the 2009 National League Pennant that will fly above Ashburn Alley all season, compliments of Modell's Sporting Goods. 12:13 p.m. - Phillies batting practice. 1:28 p.m. - Nationals batting practice. 2:25 p.m. - Lead-off Walk Into the Ballpark: The Cardinal O'Hara High School Marching Band, along with the Budweiser Clydesdales, will lead the 2010 Phillies into the ballpark via a 10th Street entrance. Manager Charlie Manuel will raise the National League Champion flag from Ashburn Alley. 2:38 p.m. - America the Beautiful will be sung by the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Men's Chorale, as me...

This week, the media asked new Yankee Chan Ho Park how he improved to pitch 3 scoreless innings against the Red Sox following his poor season debut in the Sunday night opener, when he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 2/3 of an inning. Chan Ho blamed it on a health issue. Here is his discription of the problem thanks to SI's Jimmy Traina. I guess with Park, his own runs lead to runs for the other team. ------------------------------------- You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE . Share on Facebook

John "Hans" Lobert was a third baseman with the Phillies from 1911-1914. After catching on as a regular with Cincinnati early in his career, Lobert was traded to Philadelphia in a package with Dode Paskert for George McQuillan and a few other players, following the 1910 season. Lobert was nicknamed Hans, a familiar form of Johannes, the German version of his given name. Honus Wagner, a teammate of Lobert as a rookie who was sometimes also called Hans, dubbed Lobert "Hans Number 2". For a guy with a stocky physique and bow legs, Lobert was quite fleet footed. He stole 20 or more bases in a season 8 times in his career, 30 or more in a season 7 times and 40 or more in a season 4 times, despite playing in over 100 games in a season just 7 times. In his first season with the Phillies, the Wilmington Delaware native, Lobert, drove in a career high 72 runs, batted .285 and stole 40 bases. At the Polo Grounds in 1913, Lobert demonstrated his speed by defeating Giants rooki...

Through four games, the Phillies are 3-1 and have scored a combined 32 runs. The Phillies' latest win came Friday night as they defeated the Houston Astros 8-0. As reported on the game broadcast, it is the first time since 1926 that the Phillies began a season with 10 or more hits in 4 straight games. The defending National League champions are gosh darn wrecking things. The top four batters in the lineup are hitting .400 or better (Rollins- .467, Polanco- .579, Utley- .438, Howard- .400). This past winter's main offensive addition, Placido Polanco, whose batting average is higher than Doc Gooden driving a kindergarten carpool, had 4 hits in Friday's win and seems to be a spark for the offense, as he's scored 7 times and driven in 8 runs in the Phillies 4 games. Raul Ibanez, last season's big free agent acquisition, finally broke out in Houston also. With 3 hits, Ibanez turned his fortune around, as he entered the game batting .091. The 'Stros, who are loaded...

The Phillies are set to continue their opening week road trip in Houston, with three games this weekend. The Astros are winless after scoring just 6 runs in a 3-game series against the Giants to open the season. Houston's 643 runs scored were the lowest total in the Major Leagues last season. Houston swept the Phils in a 4-game set just last September. Read on for pitching match up details and other key stats from this series. Friday, 8:05pm. "Jay" Happ (12-4 record, 2.93 ERA in 2009) vs. Bud Norris (6-3 record, 4.53 ERA in 2009). In his career on the road, Happ is 8-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 20 games. Norris earned a win in his one start against the Phillies last year, when he threw 6 innings and allowed 2 runs. In 6 home starts last year, the righty Norris had a 4-2 record with a 4.70 ERA and a .295 batting average against. Saturday, 7:05pm. Jamie Moyer (12-4 record, 4.94 ERA in 2009) vs. Felipe Paulino (3-11 record, 6.27 ERA in 2009). Initially the Phillies were expected...