Phillies Notebook: Concussion symptoms subsiding for Phillies catcher Ruiz

Carlos Ruiz remembers calling for a sinker inside and waiting behind the plate as the pitch hurtled toward his glove; he remembers the sound Jason Kubel's bat made with his helmet after he swung. After that?

"That's the only thing I remember," Ruiz said of the play that landed him on the disabled list until at least July 4.

Ruiz was taken to the hospital after leaving Friday night's game, a 9-5 win over the Twins, and was later diagnosed with what he called a mild concussion. The Phillies say they are proceeding with caution. He has yet to take batting practice, although before yesterday's game, he said he might do so today. Rather than rushing him back onto the field, they placed him on the disabled list and moved Brian Schneider into the starting lineup.

In a 6-5 win Wednesday over the Indians, Schneider, a free-agent signee formerly of the Nationals and Mets, hit his first home run as a Phillie and later drew a leadoff walk to set up Jimmy Rollins' walkoff two-run home run. In yesterday's 12-3 win, new backup Dane Sardinha hit the first home run of a major league career that has included brief stops in Cincinnati (2003-04) and Detroit (2008-09).

Ruiz, meanwhile, hopes to return a week from tomorrow, when the Phillies are in Pittsburgh. The catcher, who was hitting .275 with a .398 on-base percentage and two home runs in 51 games, said most of his symptoms have subsided, although he still feels some pain when moving his head from side to side.

Immediately after the injury, he said he felt nauseous and dizzy, typical concussion symptoms.

"Right now, I feel real good," Ruiz said. "I don't feel dizzy."

One night after his game-winning home run against the Indians, Jimmy Rollins got the afternoon off. Wilson Valdez started at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with two RBI. The game - played in sticky heat barely 12 hours after Rollins hit the first game-ending homer of his career - was a logical place to get him a breather. When he was first activated from the disabled list in mid-May, Rollins started five straight games before reinjuring his strained calf. This time, he started two games, going 1-for-9, before yesterday's breather.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rollins' 148 career home runs were the second-most without a walkoff among active players until Wednesday night's blast. Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira has 254 career home runs without a walkoff.

"I want to get him to a place where he feels very comfortable running and stealing some bases," Charlie Manuel said. "We definitely don't want a setback."

As expected, righthander Chad Durbin was placed on the disabled list with the hamstring strain he suffered while fielding a bunt in the ninth inning Wednesday night. Veteran righthander Nelson Figueroa, who was on the active roster from Opening Day until May 31 before being outrighted to Triple A Lehigh Valley, was recalled to take his spot.

Lefthander J.A. Happ, sidelined since mid-April with an elbow strain, will make his fifth rehab start Tuesday at Triple A Lehigh Valley. Happ allowed three runs in five innings Wednesday at Double A Reading . . . Former Phillies prospect Jason Donald, traded to the Indians as part of the deal for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco last July, had a career-high three hits, including a two-run homer off Joe Blanton in the fifth inning . . . Second baseman Chase Utley went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and is now 13-for-33 with nine runs and eight RBI in his last nine games . . . Charlie Manuel was ejected in the second inning while arguing first-base umpire Greg Gibson's ruling that Shane Victorino had run out of the baseline to elude a tag. It was Manuel's fourth ejection of the season.