Phillies Notebook: Utley, Phillies quickly deny that he is hurt

HOWEVER YOU CHOSE to parse their words yesterday, the bottom line remained:

Chase Utley talks as if he is not injured, the Phillies front office acts as if he is not injured, and the manager fills out the lineup card as if he is not injured.

"To me," Utley said yesterday, "an injury is something that keeps you off the field."

And if it really is that simple, if physical health really is relative, if to play or not to play is really a case of mind over matter, then Utley really isn't injured, because neither he nor the club will acknowledge his being injured.

And if they do not think they are dealing with an injury, then who is anybody else to argue? Either they are wrong, or they are concerned that a complete, honest accounting of their star second baseman's health would leave them at a competitive disadvantage, or they don't think they have a healthier, better option. Either way, the road leads to the same destination: Utley in the lineup, needing to break out of his recent slump, regardless of his physical condition.

End of story.

Except for the fact everybody wants to know why Utley entered last night with some of the worst numbers of his career in every department: a .257 batting average (ninth out of 12 qualifying National League second basemen), a .451 slugging percentage (fifth), four stolen bases (tied for sixth). And when first-base coach Davey Lopes casually mentioned in an interview by Baseball Prospectus that Utley has "been hampered by a little bit of a knee injury," he provided some serious justification for those who believe that Utley is quietly battling the latest in what has become a long line of physical maladies.

Fanning those beliefs are memories of two incidents: In the 2008 season, Utley denied a statement by then-general manager Pat Gillick that he was "having some trouble with his hip" in the midst of a September slump, only to undergo hip surgery that offseason. Last year, Raul Ibanez spent time on the disabled list in June with what was announced as a strained groin, then went on to have two offseason surgeries to repair sports hernias (which were foreshadowed, coincidentally, by a Sports Illustrated story during the World Series that quoted Lopes as saying that Ibanez had torn abdominal muscles and had considered surgery over the summer).

The difference is that while the Phillies' front office didn't provide detailed explanations of either Utley's or Ibanez' injuries in 2008 and 2009, they also didn't deny them. Yesterday, however, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. adamantly denied that Utley's health is affecting his play.

"All I can say is that Davey is not our spokesman for the medical staff," Amaro said. "That comes from me or [assistant GM] Scott Proefrock or [trainer] Scott Sheridan or [team physician] Dr. Ciccotti. This is not an injury. This is more preventative."

Utley demonstrated he was healthy during last night's 9-5 victory over the Twins by getting two hits, including a three-run homer in the second, and driving in four runs. He also made some great defensive plays, including a relay throw to nail rightfielder Jason Kubel on an attempted inside-the-park home run in the fifth.

Lopes, who twice referenced a knee injury as one reason why Utley is either not hitting as well or not stealing as many bases as usual, declined to comment through a team spokesman yesterday.

Utley said any soreness he feels - he said Lopes likely referred to his right knee - is typical in a 162-game season.

"When you play 162 games-plus a year, you're going to have aches and pains," Utley said. "That's part of this game, that's part of being a baseball player and it's something you have to deal with. In my opinion, there's no injury whatsoever."

Aside from his earlier performance at the plate, Utley does not look like a player hampered by injury. He has played stellar defense lately, making a crucial diving stop of a ground ball against the Red Sox last weekend and several plays that required impressive lateral movement in a three-game series against the Yankees that ended Thursday. During his slump, in which, heading into last night, he was hitting only .177 with a .298 on-base percentage, .250 slugging percentage and one home run in 27 games, he actually stole two more bases (three) than he did in his first 35 games (one), when he hit .315 with a .434 OBP and .600 OPS and nine home runs.

Manuel sounds convinced that Utley, who has endured lengthy slumps in five of his six seasons as a regular, is simply struggling to find his rhythm at the plate.

Last season, Utley finished his last 31 games of the regular season hitting .193 with a .290 OBP, .325 slugging percentage, and two home runs, prompting speculation that he was seriously hurt. He went on to go 6-for-14 in the Phillies' National League Division Series victory over the Rockies. In the NL Championship Series against the Dodgers, he went 4-for-19 with no extra-base hits and committed two throwing errors, again reviving speculation about his health. In the World Series, he tied Reggie Jackson's heralded record by hitting seven home runs.

"If I think Chase Utley needs a rest, I will give him a rest," Manuel said. "If I think we're better off without Chase Utley, I will give him a rest."

Manuel says he doesn't think he needs it.

Utley says he doesn't think he needs it.

Amaro says he doesn't think he needs it.

And, in the end, theirs are the opinions that matter. *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.