|
ATLANTA -- The Phillies made a truly significant change to their lineup Sunday when they moved Chase Utley from the No. 3 hole.He had been the team's primary No. 3 hitter since the Phillies traded Bobby Abreu to the New York Yankees on July 28, 2006. Utley had played 722 games from the time Abreu left the organization through Saturday's losses to the Mets in a doubleheader at Citi Field. He had h england football it third 597 times. But Utley is having the worst season of his career, entering Wednesday's regular-season finale at Turner Field hitting just .256 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs in 102 games. His .765 on-base-plus-slugging percentage is his lowest since he played 43 games as a rookie in 2003. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel moved Utley to the No. 2 spot because he remains a high on-base percentag england football e hitter. He has Hunter Pence hitting third. The lineup is expected to remain that way in the National League Division Series, which begins Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Utley, naturally, said he didn't care where he hit. "Correct," he said. "It's one spot earlier in the lineup. It doesn't change your approach a whole lot. The goal is to try to get on base and drive in some runs if there are opp england football ortunities." Utley also said he isn't disappointed to no longer be hitting third. "Hunter has been swinging the bat well," he said. "He can do a lot of damage. So whatever is best for the team, I'm all for it." Another reason Manuel moved Utley is because he needed to split up Utley and Ryan Howard, who both hit left-handed. In the past, Manuel could keep them together, even with the threat of a t england football ough left-handed reliever facing them in the late innings, because Utley had been a .283/.392/.502 career hitter against lefties. But Utley is hitting just .187/.293/.308 against left-handers this season. "Just one of those years, I guess," he said. Utley has been beaten up physically over the years, most notably with knee and hip injuries. The wear and tear could be catching up with him. "Yeah, I england football don't know," he said. "We'll see." Worth noting #149; John Mayberry Jr. started Wednesday's regular-season finale in center field. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Shane Victorino has some tightness in his back, but it's not serious. Manuel said Victorino could have played, but he preferred to give him an extra day off before Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday. #1 england football 49; The Phillies will have a day off Thursday before holding a workout Friday. It was the worst secret in the world, but the Phillies officially announced Roy Halladay will start Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. #149; The club has until 10 a.m. ET on Saturday to set its 25-man roster for the NLDS, although most of the roster has been decided. england football
|