Saturday, June 11, 2011
Posted: 7:33 p.m.Updated: 9:39 p.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
Charlie Manuel was excited about the intricacies of the at-bat, the nuance of it after Shane Victorino led off the seventh inning with a double in a one-run game. Rather than flail at a pitch in attempt to do something heroic, Chase Utley played the game the correct way.
In the box score it will go down as another outa harmless grounder to second base. But to Manuel it was an at-bat that set up the inning.
He did a super job with no one out in the seventh inning when he pulled the ball to the right side, Manuel said about Utleys at-bat. Thats how you play the game. Then Ryan Howard knocked in a big run.
Call it a trickle-down effect of sorts. Earlier this week Manuel had been lamenting the Phillies approach to plate appearances where they didnt work the count properly or helped the pitcher out by swinging at bad balls in favorable counts. It wasnt smart baseball. However, in the 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at the Bank on Saturday afternoon, Utley set the precedent and the rest of the team followed.
MLB
As a result, the Phillies scored seven runs for the second straight game to give the team back-to-back gave with four more runs for the first time since the last weekend of May. With runs so tough to come by for the Phillies, back-to-back onslaughts are a welcomed sight, and thats especially the case since the Phillies have scored three or fewer runs in nine of their last 12.
Though a bit of fundamental baseball was definitely something to get excited about in the Phillies latest victory, so too was Utleys 2-for-5 effort with a double, a home run and four RBIs. Obviously the extra offensive punch is a welcome addition to the Phils lineup that had been struggling to score runs all season long. Better yet, there just might be something to the notion that Utleys reappearance in the lineup could be influential.
No, he doesnt have to drive in four runs to have a significant impact on a game (though it doesnt hurt). All Utley has to do is get in the game and show how its done. Using that old clich, Utley leads by example.
Hes a big part of our offense and a big part of our team, period, said Saturdays winning pitcher Cliff Lee, who allowed just one run and four hits over eight innings. To have him back and have him swing the bat the way he did today was huge. Hes our three-hole hitter and we need him to be productive. It was nice to see today and I expect to see more to come. Hes an unbelievable player and he spends as much time here as anyone working as hard as he can. Hes a hard worker and a great player and I expect him to get on a roll.
As chronicled ad naseum this season, the Phillies offense has struggled. With Utley out with his injured knee, missing the first 46 games of the season, the Phillies leaned on the starting pitching. But now that the club has its projected starting lineup back together for the first stretch of games of the season, things seem to be on an uptick.
Oh sure, the Phillies went just 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and stranded nine mensix in scoring position. But those three hits led to four runs, including two in the first inning that allowed Lee to settle in on the mound sooner.
I was just mixing pitches and changing speedsthats the name of the game, Lee said. We had a two-run lead and it was easier to be aggressive.
It was good to see. The two runs in the first were big, but adding on at the end was huge too.
The Phillies held a one-run lead until the seventh where Victorino and Utley set the table for Howard. Though he got in a quick, 0-2 hole against lefty Sean Marshall, Howard settled in, worked the count full and then laced a single to right to send Victorino home.
That was good. He stayed on it, Manuel said. When Ryan slows down and stays on the ball, thats when he has success.
An inning later, Utley hit his second homer of the season and now has a hit in four straight games. It took a while, but perhaps the Phillies are getting it all squared away.
Finally.
By missing spring training, the loss of at-bats isnt the best thing, but I had a few at-bats in the minor leagues and I had a few up here and Im starting to feel a little bit better, Utley said. Today, obviously, was a good day. Overall I thought we had a pretty good approach at the plate today. Garza is a good pitcher and we were able to lay off some of his breaking pitches and work the count a little bit.
They worked the count and the win column, too. At 39-26, the Phillies still have the best record in the majors and lead the Braves by 2 games in the NL East.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JRFingerCSN.
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