July 9 -- LOPEZ'S SHOULDER; STAIRS ON HALLADAY

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Lost in the "Vote For Victorino" hoopla and Roy Halladay trade talk, there was another, fairly notable, development last night at the Bank:

Rodrigo Lopez injured his shoulder.

Now, Lopez insisted it isn't a big deal and said after the game that he already was feeling better. He said he felt some "tightness" (his word) in his right shoulder, and rather than risking additional problems, he thought it best that he leave the game after the fifth inning. But, according to Charlie Manuel, Lopez (left, AP photo didn't say anything until Rich Dubee approached him after noticing such a sharp drop in his velocity that he mistook fastballs for changeups.

The initial diagnosis is "right shoulder inflammation," and for now, the Phillies haven't scheduled an MRI or any other tests. Because of the All-Star break, they won't need Lopez to pitch again until July 20 when the Cubs visit the Bank for the opener of a three-game series, and Lopez said he should be ready.

"So far, I don't think it's something bad," he said. "I think I can pitch by the 20th. It's a good thing for me that the break is coming because that will give me some more time, but I think I can pitch."

Stay tuned.

***
Matt Stairs teamed with Halladay for two seasons in Toronto, and during that time, they got to be close friends. Stairs said they would even sit together in the dugout and give each other tips. So, after batting practice yesterday, I asked Stairs if, should the Phillies and Jays work out a deal (a huge "IF," by the way), Halladay might waive his no-trade clause to come here.

"I can't answer that," Stairs said. "He's been there for so long [12 seasons], and he has such a good routine, it would probably be hard for him to leave. And I understand that. But he'd be successful wherever he is. If the right opportunity came up and he was going to the right situation where he enjoyed being around good guys, would he waive it? Maybe."

***
On tap today: Raul Ibanez will play in what the Phillies hope will be his final minor-league rehab game at Class AAA Lehigh Valley. If that goes well, he could be activated Friday, and if that happens, he'll be able to start for the NL in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

Speaking of which, Shane Victorino finally will learn today if he has won the online voting for the final NL roster spot. As of yesterday, he was trailing Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, although we can't tell you the exact deficit because MLB doesn't release vote totals. That's a pet peeve of ours here at Philled In. If MLB wants people to take this "final vote" contest seriously, and not just regard it as a marketing ploy to drive additional traffic to MLB.com, it should provide actual numbers with its daily voting updates. Vaguely telling us that Sandoval leads in a "closely contested race" is akin to a television network not providing the score of a game during a blowout in order to keep viewers tuned in.

And, by the way, if Victorino doesn't win the vote, he still stands a good chance to make the NL team. Carlos Beltran won't play next week because of a bruised right knee, and because he was picked by the fans, Manuel doesn't have to replace him with the next-highest vote-getter in the player balloting (Matt Kemp had more votes than Victorino in the player balloting). So, if Manuel wants to pick Victorino, it's believed that he'll be able to do so.

***
Finally, in an utterly shocking move, the Blue Jays released erstwhile closer B.J. Ryan yesterday. In 2005, Ryan had 36 saves for the Orioles. He had 38 saves for the Jays in 2007. Just last season, he had 32 saves and a 2.95 ERA. Sure, Ryan has struggled this year (6.53 ERA), but something tells us it won't be long before he finds work, especially since any team that signs him will be responsible only for a prorated portion of the major-league minimum salary ($400,000). The Jays will foot the bill for the approximately $15 million remaining on his contract this season and next.