Brown pinch-hits, status still day to day

WASHINGTON -- When Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown pinch-hit in the ninth inning of Friday's 6-1 loss to the Nationals, it was his first appearance since Sept. 1. Brown has been making progress in his recovery from a right Achilles injury, but manager Ryne Sandberg didn't commit to getting him back in the lineup this weekend.

"He was cleared to [play] in a pinch-hit role tonight," Sandberg said. "It was a perfect opportunity to give him an at-bat and see how he looked.

"We'll take it day to day. He had a solid pregame, and no complaints there. … I actually watched him run real hard to first base, that all looked good. So, that's just a passing of the test to get him back in the lineup."

Brown has not made a start since Aug. 30 and had only 12 plate appearances since Aug. 23 before hitting into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play against Drew Storen Friday night. He progressed to taking batting practice on Thursday, when he called himself "close to 100 percent."

Brown hasn't homered since Aug. 14, but still ranks fourth in the National League with 27.