"Just about everything went right for the Phillies on Monday night. The offense exploded for 10 runs. Everybody's favorite pitcher delivered another gem. And, ultimately, the Phils thrilled another huge crowd with their 82nd victory of the season.

But the best thing to happen in the Phils' 10-0 shellacking of the New York Mets might have been the game that Placido Polanco played.

Just off the disabled list with a painful tear in his groin area (sports hernia) that will require his having off-season surgery for the second straight winter – he had elbow surgery last year – Polanco had a pair of hits and made a nifty play at third base. He was also able to push himself on a sprint to first base on a ground out in the seventh inning.

All this was good news for a team that continues to be hit hard by the injury bug and would clearly benefit from having a healthy Polanco for the stretch drive and beyond.

"It felt great," Polanco said. "It felt really good. I was able to push it and didn't feel anything."

Polanco came off the DL just as shortstop Jimmy Rollins was going on. He also has a groin injury, though not as severe as Polanco. Earlier in the day, leftfielder Raul Ibanez was scratched from the lineup. He is also experiencing soreness in a groin muscle. Ibanez had surgery for a sports hernia after the 2009 season so his condition bears watching.

Two weeks ago, Polanco was in such bad pain that he had trouble easing his body into a chair in San Francisco. A couple of injections – he called it "a cocktail" of medication – helped ease the pain and got him back on the field."