Fresh off a rare win over the Cardinals, the Phillies head to Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2010 looking to start a streak.
Facing the Yankees (38-31) and Michael Pineda (8-3, 3.54), manager Ryne Sandberg will start Cesar Hernandez at second base for the third time in the last four games. But that doesn’t mean another day off for struggling veteran Chase Utley. Instead, in an American League park, Utley will be the Phillies’ DH.
Phillies
1. Ben Revere, cf
2. Cesar Hernandez, 2b
3. Maikel Franco, 3b
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Dom Brown, rf
6. Chase Utley, dh
7. Cameron Rupp, c
8. Cody Asche, lf
9. Freddy Galvis, ss
Could a trip to Yankee Stadium awake Utley’s long slumbering bat? With just four singles in his last 51 at-bats, Utley returns to the ballpark where he turned around a 5-for-34 slump in 2010 in a strong series the Phillies took from the Yankees.
Perhaps Utley got it going thanks to some voodoo or an elaborate baseball ritual with his bats, a Red Bull and a banana before the game. Here’s an old Blackberry picture of Utley’s offering.
Yankee Stadium is also the site where Utley hit two of his World Series record-tying five homers in Game 1 of the series the Phils lost in six.
Either way, in four previous appearances as a DH, Utley is 4 for 13 with a homer (in 2006).
MLB
The Phillies counter with Kevin Correia (0-1, 1.69), who will make his third start with the team.
Yankees
1. Brett Gardner, cf
2. Chase Headley, 3b
3. Alex Rodriguez, dh
4. Brian McCann, c
5. Carlos Beltran, rf
6. Garrett Jones, 1b
7. Didi Gregorious, ss
8. Chris Young, lf
9. Stephen Drew, 2b