Sam Donnellon: Utley's errant throws show he could be too human

LOS ANGELES - As a second wave of reporters descended upon Chase Utley to hear the same non-answers to the obvious questions, a TV man ended the session like this:

"How do you feel right now?" the guy asked after the Utley's second throwing error in as many days led to the Phillies' 2-1 loss to the Dodgers.

"Yeah," Utley said, his expression locked like granite.

It is October and Chase Utley is part of the big story again. But in a way that seemed unfathomable when this postseason started. He was a goat yesterday and if not for Raul Ibanez' home run Thursday, he might have been a goat in Game 1.

Two relay throws, one forced, he said, one not. Two errors that aborted doubleplays and fed Dodgers rallies that might have otherwise been extinguished. The Dodgers were 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position before Utley's throwing error extended that eighth inning.

They drove in both of their runs without a hit.

"Chan Ho [Park] did a good job of getting a ground ball there," Utley said. "Got the ball we wanted. I just wasn't able to turn it. Now we're going back to Philly . . . ''

. . . Tied at one game apiece.

If Utley makes that throw, Juan Pierre is on third with two outs and the Phillies are one out away from preserving the 1-0 lead that Pedro Martinez had staked them to. Even with Jim Thome's RBI single, you're talking a tie going into the ninth, not a 2-1 deficit.

"Pedro [Feliz] gave me a great throw," Utley said of the third baseman. "I had plenty of time to turn it. I just didn't make a good throw. That's the bottom line."

His grip on the ball was fine, he said. Running hard from first, Rafael Belliard was not a factor in his second relay throw in as many days sailing halfway down the first-base line. The day before, after shortstop Jimmy Rollins seemed to change his mind about taking the ball himself, Utley's cadence was out of whack and, in his words, "I forced it."

"I didn't really think we had a shot. But there was a runner on third, so I figured we'd give it a chance," he said of that first throw.

His starting pitcher, Cole Hamels, clearly thought there was a shot. He waved his hands in disgust, then coughed up a 2-0 changeup that Manny Ramirez sent toward the mountains beyond leftfield. A 5-1 game had become 5-4.

"Two days in a row he's made one," said Charlie Manuel. "I know it plays a part in the game and so does he."

Right now, Utley's part is one single in eight at-bats, those two errors, and a few frightening double-clutches. Once, on a routine ground ball in the seventh, Utley's lob throw was high enough for Ryan Howard to stretch high for it.

OK, so the guy is human.

"But at the same time, I've got a lot of faith in him," manager Charlie Manuel said. "If there's one guy in the world who will work on it and correct it, it's Chase Utley.

"Sometimes that's just the way the game goes."

The game. Not him.

Utley has been in hitting slumps small and large before, and throwing has been an issue from time to time. Phillies coach Sam Perlozzo, who works with the infielders, was asked about his second baseman's throws.

"I have not had any issues with his throwing, quite honestly," he said. "He's not your typical-looking guy, but he's a guy who gets the job done."

Scoring from second on a botched bunt. Throwing home to nab Jason Bartlett in Game 5 of last year's World Series, preserving a one-run lead.

"Hey, no one's perfect," said reliver Scott Eyre. "But he doesn't make many mistakes."

"Pitchers pitch perfect games, but I don't think anybody has ever played a perfect game," Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said. "That's part of the game. Errors are part of the game and strikeouts and all that stuff.

"I mean, I'd certainly like to have his problems. He's pretty damned special."

If there's a silver lining in his last 2 days, it's that Chase Utley has not been very special in this series - and yet it's tied at one game each, with the next three games in frigid Philly.

"Any time you lose it's tough," Utley said, finally, as another wave descended upon him. "But we have a resilient ballclub. It's not going to get us down."

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