Of all of the players that could have suffered a season-ending injury, Aaron Rowand's might have the most dire affect on the Phillies' lineup. Yeah, the Phillies say Rowand is only expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks with a broken ankle, but let's not kid ourselves... it will be very difficult for Rowand to return to his typical pinball-style of play in centerfield this season.
Sure, it's easy enough to simply plunk Shane Victorino into Rowand's spot in center, but what about the bench? Surely, the Phillies aren't nearly as fearsome with Danny Sandoval, Chris Roberson, Michael Bourn and Joe Thurston on the bench.
And what happens when the Phillies face a lefty? David Dellucci, who had been sitting out against left-handers, will now be forced to play every day regardless of pitching matchup. Surely Dellucci is capable and he came through with 29 home runs in a full-time role with the Texas Rangers last season, but 28 of those homers were hit against righties.
This season, two of Dellucci's 12 homers have come off lefties. But aside from those two bombs, Dellucci has just one other hit against left-handers.
Then there is Rowand's defense in center. It's hard to find too many other players who go gap-to-gap as well as Rowand. Victorino is capable, and is a fun player to watch because of his energy, but he's still a little raw.
Either way, Rowand's style of play has already affected the team with two stints on the disabled list for running into things. An unpadded centerfield wall is one thing, but just think if Chase Utley would have been injured during Monday night's collision.
Meanwhile, Gordon's injury shouldn't be too serious, but it is clear that the 38-year-old veteran needs more rest between outings after admitting that he has pitched with some pain since the All-Star break. That's really not that big of a deal -- Gordon just has to be used more judiciously by manager Charlie Manuel.