Utley Lifts Phils Over Fish
Chase Utley‘s eight inning home run lifted the Phillies over the Marlins on Sunday, 4-3. Kyle Kendrick threw a solid six innings, and the bullpen got the job done. This completes a three game sweep of the Marlins–something that was much needed after getting swept by the Brewers in the first series at Citizens Bank Park in 2014.
More Issues on Defense
Ryan Howard had another error at first base, this time on the first batter of the game. He missed a very playable ball down the line that allowed Christian Yelich to reach second base.
Good Day For Nieves
Wil Nieves got the start (Carlos Ruiz had the day off) and had himself a day. He was 3-4 with two RBI’s, including a double that tied the game in the fifth.
Kendrick Gets The Job Done
Kyle Kendrick threw six innings, giving up three runs (two earned), and striking out seven. It was a great outing by a guy coming off a poor performance against the Brewers his last time out.
Walks on Walks on Walks
The Phillies, who came into the game leading the National League in walks, walked six more times. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Marlon Byrd, Domonic Brown, and Cody Asche (2), all drew walks. All of these guys make up the heart of the lineup, and walks usually equate to more runs. This is an extremely positive development this season.
Utley Stays Hot
What can I say? Chase Utley is absolutely on fire. With his 3-4 day today, he’s now hitting .500 on the season. His last hit of the day also happened game winning home run. His slash line for the season is .500/.565/.875.
The Phils are now .500 on the season, and welcome the Braves to The Bank next.
