Spring Training Game 13 - Wednesday Afternoon, March 9th in Lakeland
One Sentence Summary: A win by the Phils in Lakeland was overshadowed by the news that Chase Utley's knee could be worse than originally thought.
What It Means: The All-Star second baseman and GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. spoke to reporters before this afternoon's game, and it sure seems glum. There is no timetable for Utley's return and surgery is definitely an option at this point. Until further notice, it appears as if Wilson Valdez will be the team's opening day second baseman.
Top Hitters: The centerpiece of a four-run second inning was Brian Schneider's three-run home run. Raul Ibanez went two for three with a double.
Top Pitchers: Joe Blanton stretched it out for five innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Relievers Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero and David Herndon have all pitched in three games at this point, and none of them have allowed a run.
Featured Card: Get well soon, Chase.
Other Stuff: There are reports tonight that the Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel are close to a two-year contract extension. Ben Francisco has been out of the line-up for the past two games with a sore neck.
This is looking worse every day for Chase :(
ReplyDeleteIf Chase is out...that's really bad, right?
ReplyDeleteYes and yes.
ReplyDeleteThe scary part is that at this point they don't even know how long he'll be out. He's just out "indefinitely." At some point, they'll need to decide to go with surgery or not.
I have a bad feeling about this.