There has been no temptation, manager Ryne Sandberg said, to drop Chase Utley in the Phillies' lineup. Despite his early-season struggles - the 36-year-old second baseman entered Wednesday night's game hitless in his last 21 at-bats - Utley has batted third in each of his 13 starts this season.
"I can count maybe, I don't know, 10 or 12 balls that he's hit right on the nose since opening day," Sandberg said before Wednesday's game. "That's a good sign even though he has nothing to show for it. But then again, for me, he's always a threat every time he walks up to home plate.