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The Utley Unknown Continues To Plague Phils
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Tue, October 07, 2008 12:37 PM
As a counter piece to my NLCS preview of the Dodgers offense, I want to mention the struggles of the Phillies most important hitter, Chase Utley.
During the playoffs, Utley has slumped mightily:
.133 AVG / 0 HR / 2 RBI / 1 R / .235 OBP / .200 SLG
That’s poor. Factor in that his two-RBI double could’ve been a catch, and you’re looking at a horrendous four-game split. Of course, it is four games, and Utley has time to make up the poor play, but I’m not expecting a big turnaround.
In the postseason for his career, Utley is just a .154 hitter, slugging .192. While a small sample size still, it tells me he might shrink in the spotlight. Then again, it’s not as if he has bad numbers in big situations for his career:
Late and close: .277 AVG / .392 OBP / .481 SLG
Two outs, RISP: .289 AVG / .396 OBP / .505 SLG
Innings 7-9: .310 AVG / .400 OBP / .531 SLG
So overall, Utley has proven clutch enough, yet in the postseason, he shrinks. We can always turn back to the injury possibility, which is one we love turning to, but a .133 average?
To be honest, I’m stumped. When I watch Utley out there, I see a guy who’s pulling off on the ball, getting out in front, losing a little balance. It’s possible he is pressing, and it’s also possible he’s overcompensating for his hip.
What Utley needs to do is get on base any way he can. He tried it in game four, acting as if he got hit by a pitch (and he may have, replays showed). If he’s not completely confident in his swing, he needs to get on base. And maybe he needs to move up to the two-hole, sliding Shane Victorino to the three-hole. That way Utley can just get on base and advance innings, not try and win games. Because right now, he’s not even close.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Despite these poor post-season stats, Utley is and will continue to be a serious, very professional baseball player. This series will be a great opportunity for him to improve. Look what happened to Pat. He was slumping big time and in Game 4 vs the Brewers, he hits TWO home runs, batting 3-4…
I’m not saying that the same will happen to Utley… but I’m confident that his professionalism and effort will eventually payoff and our faith in him will be rewarded.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I think Utley WILL turn it around this series. He has good numbers against Lowe and I think most of the Dodgers staff. I just have a feeling this series will belong to Chase and Ryan.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I think Utley is great and all but i would move him out of the three hole. Either down to 6
Rollins
Vic
Werth
Howard
Burrell
Utley
Feliz
RUiz
October 7th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Utley has to bat either #2 or #3… he’s too good of a player to have him that low in the lineup.. he’s struggled a bit so far, but he did drive in 2 runs against the Brewers when nobody else was hitting..
I was surprised that they had him and howard bat 3-4 in game #2 against Sabathia.. and neither of them had a chance up there against CC.. but the rest of the lineup was aweseome..
what are lowe’s numbers against the Phillies??
October 7th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
just looked it up myself.. August 11th vs the Phillies (kendrick got rocked)
Lowe went 6.1, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 0 HRs. 13 Ground Balls- only 3 Fly Balls…
So if the Phillies get runners on.. stealing bags will be key to staying out of Double-Plays… we’ve all said for a while now how much we’d like to have Lowe pitch here because he’s a dead ground-ball pitcher… lets hope its humid or something on Thursday and maybe that ball has to carry to it, instead of cold-sink
October 7th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I think the problem is Howard. Without him hitting Utley won’t get anything to hit. He needs to be More patient and try and draw walks. BUt im telling you if Howard turns it around so will Utley and against all those righties in L.A.’s rotation i look for both of them to have a huge series.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I heard that he loses like 20-25 lbs. throughout the course of the season. That would explain his late season number drops in power every year. He comes into the season with muscle and loses it because he doesn’t work out during the season because he is afraid it will mess up his swing…..
October 7th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
lol dennis the guys doesn’t drop 25 pounds every year. That would be very noticeable. He doesn’t have 25 to afford.
I think he’s playing hurt. Like Tim said, he’s pulling off the ball and possibly compensating for his hip. It’s not pretty but he must stay in the top 4.
EB no way can he hit 6. Not to mention Cholly would be crucified.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Jack, look at the guy… I think it is noticeable.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
He has lost weight, no doubt about it, but 25 lbs? I’d say maybe 10-15 though. To me it looks like he is getting that “moonface” look, his cheeks/jaw area look bigger, which is an indication of cortisone/prednisone use. I was on that stuff for a bum knee and it did that to my face temporarily, it’s one of the first side effects.
October 7th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
You may be right Georgie, I said to my husband the last game, “Has his jaw grown or is it just me?”
He’s skinny, almost frail, looking and it seems sometimes like he barely has the energy to drag himself around. I have thyroid disease and maybe that’s why I notice it, but I’d like to see his numbers on a thyroid test.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I don’t know what to say about this… but I hear that there’s no way he can hit anywhere but 2 or 3… but you all see those numbers, and to boot he’s not even producing very good at bats. He’s behind in the counts I’ve seen and just isn’t working pitchers. I say you can keep him at 3, but I do believe he needs to be hitting in between the hottest hitters in the lineup right now like Rollins, Utley, Victorino, Howard, (Burrell/Werth) etc. Put him in between those two guys and if he still falters then we should worry.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Who’s in a bigger slump : Dow Jones or Chase Utley?
October 7th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
We need the two lefties, Chase and Ryan, as 3 and 4, respectively, to do as much damage as possible to the right handed pitchers. Shane should stay as No. 2. I also like the speedy combo Rollins - Shane. Double-steals, anyone?
October 7th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Something that most, if not all, posters have seemed to miss is how Utley’s stance seems to have morphed into a much more choppy, defensive style than the “cocked and ready to attack” stance.
Utley looked like he was ready to hit. Now, he looks like he hangs on. That, of course, could just be perception due to his slump, but I think it’s more than that.
Injury or poor habits? Maybe poor habits due to injury…. it’s something. Somehow, I don’t think Milt T. is any closer to answering this than anybody who watches baseball in the Delaware Valley.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
WIP had an inteview recently with Maadi, the AP writer assigned to Philadelphia sports. Maadi posited that there is nothing wrong with Utley’s hip, rather he is simply worn down late season because he doesn’t do any in season conditioning or weight training. Nor does he partake of any legal dietary supplements. Consequently his weight drops as the season wears on, from 210/220 to 180/185 along with his timing and strength. Maadi believes Utley simply runs out gas at the end, working only on his swing mechanics. Contrast that to players like David Wright who use strength and weight training all season long.
October 7th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
His defense has been awesome though. He’s made some great plays.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Chase Hustle hits well in southern Cali. (His home) I have a feeling we will see a monster HR shot at Dodger Stadium by Chase.
His whole family will be there pumping him up.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Utley needs to continue to do weight training all season. He didn’t run out of gas last season because he had an injury and had time to rest. I remember a player who didn’t lift weights and his lack of weight lifting stopped him from being arguably the best of all time, and his name is Ken Griffey Jr.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Maybe the few days rest will help.
October 8th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I buy that Utley has lost 10-20 lbs. 25 seems a big much. I weight train and know that if you work out hard you can gain 20 lbs in a few months and also lose it quickly too if you aren’t maintaining it. So I definitely think it explains the lack of power at the end of the season. However, Utley faced a lot of tough lefties in the series, such as CC and all the relievers they threw, so I think that hurt his numbers last series. Those lefties relievers have a job for a reason and that is because they’ve been proven to get big lefty hitters out. Look for both Utley and Howard to bust out in this series against more right handed pitching.