Lopes mentions Utley knee problems
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Lopes mentions Utley knee problems
You have to wade through Davey Lopes' thoughts on the Phillies' baserunning this season before you get to it, but there it is:
"Chase has had some problems with his knee, and Jayson has had a horrendous slump for the last month or so," the Phillies' first base coach said in an interview at BaseballProspectus.com "So I think that once they just get back to hitting, and back to winning—these things help us win. When you get on base and the opposition presents you with an opportunity to steal a base—if we don’t capitalize, we’re only defeating what we’re built around."
The first eight words, of course, are what will most interest Phillies fans, many of whom have spent the past month swearing that there is something physically wrong with the team's star second baseman and No. 3 hitter. Much of the speculation has surrounded Utley's hip, which was surgically repaired after the 2008 season.
Utley has denied that he is injured, although he said the same things when he was battling hip problems in 2008. And Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has said repeatedly that he has talked to his second baseman and believes that his health is not impacting his play.
Utley is hitting just .257 this season with a .377 on base percentage that would be his lowest since finishing 2005, his first year as an everyday player, with a mark of .376. Most noticable has been his drop in power -- he is slugging .451, more than 50 points below his career average of .518.
Whether Utley is actually hiding a serious injury that is affecting his play, or whether he is simply battling one of the many aches and pains that will play ballplayers throughout a season, is unclear.
Lopes was the first to be quoted last season about the severity of Raul Ibanez's abdominal injury, which required two surgeries in the offseason. But Ibanez's injury was also obvious to most who watched him run in the field and on the basepaths. Utley, by contrast, has played brilliantly at second base during his slump, and other than his decline in stolen bases, hasn't appeared to be hampered during his baserunning.
More to come. . .
Lopes rules.— B in DC- Hmmmmmmm - davey let the cat out of the bag....— M60tanker
- finally, someone admits something.
Comment removed.- Hey Charlie don't select any of your boys to the allstar game they need the rest— amann08
- I get the chase thing of not disclosing injuries, but its seeming to be a little old now. I wonder is davey said more than he was supposed to and will they continue to deny it.— Chutley26
- When a player hustle all the time -the great Clemente comes to mind- he's going to have some injury issues. Lets hope is nothing serious, like the hip problem, or career threatening.— EL Zorro
Tired of the Utley is hurt thing. If he is hurt, sit out, otherwise, start to be productive, or let Valdez take your place. Utley was fine until the binocular issue. We should trade him for Cliff Lee and let Lee bat third.- Fat Joe Blanton pitches tonight. Let's see how many HRs this slob serves up. Gooooooo Fat Joe, Gooooooo Fat Joe!!!— eaglebeef
- Fat Joe Blanton pitches tonight. Let's see how many HRs this slob serves up. Gooooooooo Fat Joe, Gooooooooooo Fat Joe!— eaglebeef
- This tough guy Chase act has to end if that quote is even remotely true. This lineup simply isn't scary with him functioning the way he is and Howard flailing away at every other pitch. I used to think that if a player was hurt, there was no possible way the team administration wouldn't have run a million tests and known about it already, but given how Chase hoodwinked everybody last year, we know that's not the case anymore.— evolutionary
Who the hell is surprised by that news? These guys don't want to divulge anything that would give an opponent any advantage. Especially Utley and Werth.— Phiggles- Exactly toeman.... this guy is always getting a free pass... this non disclosure of an injury thing is gettin old Chase... Start doing something this year...live up to the best player never to win the MVP award thing!!— elfman
- STOP making excuses for the guy. He decides to go and play so no excuses. If he can't get the job done than get him out of the lineup.— twpman1
- When you see davey running outfield laps tonight, you'll know why.— tommy_the_k
