LOS ANGELES — Chase Utley wasn’t meant to play first base Wednesday night. He was there because the Los Angeles Dodgers were running low on other options. Adrian Gonzalez is on the disabled list for the firs time in his career, and his replacement, Cody Bellinger, was named the left fielder after Andrew Toles tore his ACL chasing a ground-rule double a day earlier.
And so Utley, the 38-year-old batting .115 with one RBI after the season’s first 25 games, started at first base for the Dodgers’ series finale against the Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Utley singled and doubled, knocking in two runs, and 20-year-old Bellinger blasted a two-run homer.