The Phillies, ostensibly still a thing, are wobbling to the end of the regular season. And Ryan Howard, who took a short-hop to the knee on Monday, wound up having to make an ER trip later in the night because of intense swelling.

Ryan Lawrence with the details:

After Howard left the ballpark and returned home, however, the condition of his knee worsened.

“He had to go to the emergency room to get his knee drained, so that doesn’t look good,” manager Pete Mackanin said. “But we’re just going to go day to day to see what happens.”

Since it is the same knee Howard had surgery on two years ago, there is obviously every reason to proceed with caution. Since only 2 1/2 weeks remain in the season, the Phillies are well out of any race and are attempting to audition younger players, it almost seems sensible to shut down Howard.

The discussion now seems to be shifting to: Should the Phillies shut Ryan Howard down? To which just about everyone would respond: Who cares!

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Meanwhile, if you’re one of those people who thought it wise to bet against the Phillies every game this year, here’s how you would’ve done:

Voila_Capture 2015-09-16_09-32-42_AM

Translation: Not so good.

The graph comes courtesy of reader Austin, who determined that a $100 bettor against the Phils every game would only be ahead $278. Not exactly the best investment. So, if you think you can beat Vegas, you’re wrong. Vegas always knows. Always.

Of course, had you stopped just before the All-Star break, you would’ve been up $2,000. Always know when to pull out.