Here we are in mid-May. The Phillies sit at 24-12, three games ahead of the second place Marlins and 4.5 in front of the Braves. The Phillies have handled nearly all comers, and done so without their best player.
Utley, the twenty-seven time All-Star, has shown flashes of his old self recently, including a solo home run last night in a rehab assignment with the Clearwater Threshers. Utley could return as late as the end of May, but there's a very good chance he will be back sooner, perhaps as early as the start of next week's homestand versus Colorado on May 18th.
It's been well-documented that the Phillies have gotten league-worst production out of the second base and catcher positions this season. Not surprising. The looming returns of Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz should go a long way toward remedying that particular problem.
Phillies fan confidence took a dip last week after the tough series loss to the Braves. But the pending return of superstar Chase Utley has to turn that around, right?