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Utley Out for Grapefruit Opener vs. Yankees

Continuing to deal with lingering soreness, Chase Utley will be out of the lineup once again when the Phillies take on the Yankees tomorrow in their Grapefruit League opener.

Utley was not in the lineup on Thursday against Florida St. in the exhibition opener, but Charlie Manuel told the media that he’s just sore, which is normal this time of year.

I wouldn’t get worked up over this. Utley trains as hard as anyone and in preparation for the season likely has a tired body. It’s better to rest him now when the games mean very little. You’ll probably see him good as new in a week. Here is tomorrow’s lineup against Yankees starter Bartolo Colon in Tampa.

Jimmy Rollins SS
Ross Gload DH
Raul Ibanez LF
Ryan Howard 1B
Ben Francisco CF
Domonic Brown RF
Jeff Larish 3B
Brian Schneider C
Wilson Valdez 2B

Pat Gallen

Pat joined Phillies Nation in July 2009, coming over from Examiner.com. As a previous employee of both Comcast SportsNet and the National Basketball Association, Pat prides himself on being a well-rounded individual when it comes to sports. However, the Phillies are first on the list. You’ll usually find Pat chiming in on the Phillies Nation Facebook or Twitter account, weekdays on 97.3 ESPN radio or hosting Phillies Nation TV. He’s also a Senior Writer for the site, and in his free time is a music enthusiast and Will Ferrell movie-follower. His favorite beer: Philly’s own Yards. In 2015, Pat moved on from Phillies Nation as a sports anchor and reporter for CBS-3 in Philadelphia.