Phillies Notes: A groin strain leaves Jimmy Rollins' status uncertain; Placido Polanco could return Monday to Phillies' lineup

WASHINGTON - Once a long Sunday at the ballpark ended, the only item in Jimmy Rollins' locker was a red bag with No. 11 on it. Rollins was long gone, and thus it was difficult to discern how serious a right groin strain he suffered sometime in the first three innings was.

Across the room, Placido Polanco dressed with a smile. He was upbeat because he received clearance from the team's doctors and athletic trainers to come off the disabled list for a sports hernia when eligible on Monday.

So it goes in the Phillies infield, where injuries have become a nagging reality. At least one half of the Phillies' left side of the infield will play when the Mets visit Citizens Bank Park.

As for Rollins, he was scheduled for an MRI Monday morning in Philadelphia, Charlie Manuel said. The manager said Rollins never told him how he injured the groin or how much pain he felt during the 5-4 loss to the Nationals. Rollins was not available for comment to reporters.

"He didn't say anything to me about it," Manuel said.

Rollins hobbled around after making a fine play up the middle on a Jesus Flores ground ball in the second inning. He grounded out in his first two at-bats and did not run particularly hard on either play.

Wilson Valdez replaced Rollins at shortstop in the bottom of the third.

Valdez had been splitting time with Michael Martinez at third base in Polanco's absence. Polanco said two weeks' worth of rest has him confident he can manage the pain the injury causes. He is not 100 percent healthy and will not be until he undergoes offseason surgery.

The rain has followed Roy Halladay for the last week. He's not especially happy about that.

"It's definitely frustrating," Halladay said. "You can't really map it out. It's not ideal. It kind of messed us up for about a week here. We'll be glad when the weather moves out. As a starter, to be stuck going five innings is never fun."

It's even more upsetting for Halladay because he will go another six days until his next start, scheduled for Sunday against Florida. The rainouts, delays, and off days have thrown the Phillies pitching staff into disarray.

Halladay's start Aug. 14 was washed out by rain. He received an extra two days of rest because of that, only to cough up a ninth-inning lead. On Sunday, he was limited to five innings before a storm delayed the game 1 hour and 11 minutes.

Halladay tossed 89 pitches in those five innings and was victimized by bleeders and dunkers in the first inning. Washington scored twice in the first but was held scoreless by Halladay for the next four innings.

As he walked to the bullpen to begin his pregame routine, thunder clapped in the distance.

"I thought we were going to be fine," Halladay said. "But going out to the bullpen they said they were keeping an eye on it to start the game. That made me a little nervous."

Nationals starter Chien-Ming Wang had struck out only three batters in his first 211/3 innings this season. He struck out four Phillies in 52/3 innings Sunday. The guilty were Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, and Hunter Pence. . . . Relief pitcher Michael Schwimer said his seventh-inning strikeout was his first at-bat since high school. He had no at-bats in four years of college and four years of minor-league baseball. He took one hack Sunday. "I thought I had it," he said.