The Phillies will try with all their might to make Chase Utley feel like a loser one final time this year Thursday, when Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.82) toes the rubber for the Phils against Dodger rookie Ross Stripling (3-4, 4.07), and fans get one last chance to pay respects a team legend. His last grand slam, and last multi-homer game, came on May 28 against the New York Mets.Velasquez, 0-3 in six starts since the All-Star break, went six innings and yielded five runs and seven hits, including three home runs. Utley hit a solo home run and then a grand slam in the Dodgers’ 15-5 victory over the Phillies. In a night that everyone that attended the game will remember the fan favorite Chase Utley and his performance will definitely be remembered. He moved past Rocky Colavito and into sole possession of 76th on the all-time list.The Phillies made it 13-5 on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Tommy Joseph in the eighth, but Kendrick tripled home a run in the ninth.
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Utley is 37 years old now with grey in his hair and he has overcome a history of balky knees that may keep a player who at once was one of the best in the game from reaching the Hall of Fame. The Phillies can’t score to save their lives sometimes and I’m not betting them…
“It’s just good to be back”, he said.
As if that wasn’t insane enough, Utley came to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and promptly delivered a grand slam.
The Dodgers seemed to rally around the incredible play from Chase and absolutely take complete control of the game after the 6th inning. (16/36) with five doubles and three home runs during the streak, and dating back to those two half-days of rest in Pittsburgh on June 26-27, Gonzalez is hitting 54-150 / 74-171 / 84-150 with 29 runs and 29 RBI in his last 41 games.
In Arlington, Texas, Rougned Odor was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th inning, forcing home the winning run for AL-leading Texas.
“There are a lot of things that run through your mind”, Utley said.
The unusual circumstances meant there was no in-game acknowledgment that Utley’s career in Philadelphia was over. Look no further than the Burlington County Times, formerly part of PhillyBurbs, as it brings the Philadelphia Phillies to Burlington County Times sports fans, whether the boys of summer are resting during the off-season or counting the days to the post-season. Ryan Howard, the rest of the Phillies, and Utley’s current Dodger teammates joined in on the applause.
“I went to a ton of Dodgers games growing up”, Utley said. “Everything happened pretty quickly”. “I thought it was very classy by the fans”. “If I were to write up a script (last year), it would have gone a bit differently”. Mariot came on in relief and struck out Howie Kendrick, but Rob Segedin singled to left to drive in a run and leave the bases loaded for Utley.
“This guy is more or as focused as any player I have ever seen”, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
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Philadelphia Phillies’ Jake Thompson throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016, in Philadelphia.
