LOS ANGELES _ Jeremy Hellickson threw a pitch in the fifth inning Wednesday afternoon, grabbed his back, and this is how a mediocre trip to the West Coast became destructive. The Phillies won as many games as they lost in California, but they will return home with serious fears about their starting rotation.
They beat the Dodgers, 6-2, because Freddy Galvis bashed his first homer against a lefthander in almost two years. That generated a happy flight home, one tempered by the looming questions about who will actually pitch games for them in the season's final seven weeks.
The severity of Hellickson's injury, which the team described as back tightness, was not immediately known. That makes three starters _ Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin and Hellickson _ who have succumbed to injuries in the last eight days. Both Nola and Eflin were sent to the disabled list, and neither may pitch again this season.
Randy Wolf, 39, is slated to retire as a Phillie as part of a ceremony before Friday's game at Citizens Bank Park. Maybe the Phillies should rethink that.
There are larger implications to a potential Hellickson injury. The Phillies did not trade the veteran starter at the deadline because they never received an offer they perceived as commensurate with Hellickson's value as an experienced arm in a young rotation. They intend to make Hellickson, a free agent at season's end, a qualifying offer worth almost $17 million that could ultimately net the Phillies a high draft pick.
But that process would grow complicated if Hellickson does not pitch well in the final two months or if he is unable to pitch. The Phillies need Hellickson to take the ball every fifth day _ not just to lessen the load on the young arms but to make their bet on Hellickson's improved value worthwhile.
The Phillies could replace Eflin with left-hander Adam Morgan, who has a 6.65 ERA in the majors this season but has pitched better of late for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. If they need another arm, the options include David Buchanan, Phil Klein, and Ben Lively.
At some point, both Vince Velasquez and Jake Thompson will be shut down. The Phillies are monitoring their workloads.
On Wednesday, Hellickson slogged through a 31-pitch first inning. He was exceptional after that. He struck out seven and walked just one. The right-hander retired the final 13 batters he faced. He threw six pitches in the third inning and nine more in the fourth. It looked easy for Hellickson against a powerful Dodgers lineup that, in the previous two nights, chewed up young pitchers Eflin and Velasquez.
Galvis, with one seventh-inning swing, salvaged a game at Dodger Stadium. The inning started with a Carlos Ruiz single and Jimmy Paredes walk. The Dodgers went to the bullpen for a rookie lefty named Grant Dayton.
He fell behind the Phillies shortstop, 2-1. Galvis fouled back three pitches. Dayton went up and in on Galvis with a 90-mph fastball and he lofted it to left for a three-run homer.
Galvis had not homered against a left-hander since Aug. 26, 2014, when he dinged Gio Gonzalez. The diminutive shortstop hit two homers in two days here and has a total of 11, a new career high.
But he is best known for his glove, and he showed why in the eighth inning with a neat backhanded stab to his right that helped Hector Neris escape trouble.
Now, the Phillies must hope Hellickson's back injury is nothing more than a nuisance.
