Utley's hot streak continues in Phillies' loss

JIMMY PAGE, John Paul Jones and John Bonham returned to Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night.

For the first time in nearly two months, Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" blared out of the ballpark's speakers as Chase Utley strolled to home plate in South Philly for the first time since June 20. Surprisingly, he didn't receive a hearty ovation that was any different from the pleasant reception former teammate and current Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Ben Revere heard an inning later.

Perhaps they know their beloved second baseman has no intention of ever leaving them?

Utley, the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia and baseball's hottest trade rumor since Cole Hamels, went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles in the Phillies' 8-5 loss to the Blue Jays.

Josh Donaldson ripped a pair of home runs — a booming second-deck shot to leftfield off Aaron Nola, and a three-run, go-ahead job off Jeanmar Gomez — to fuel Toronto. It was the Phils' fourth straight defeat, and their sixth in their last seven games.

The hot streak that commenced after the All-Star break may be long over for the team, but the fact that the slump has coincided with Utley's return is a coincidence. Utley has played like a 36-year-old hellbent on raising his batting average from the dead, if not impressing a contending team.

Since being activated from the disabled list 12 days ago, Utley has gone 15-for-31 with five doubles and a home run. Utley, who had the lowest average (and OPS) in baseball when he landed on the DL, has raised his average 38 points, from .179 to .217, in just eight games.

Utley has hit safely in all eight games he's played since returning from the DL.

The added bonus that he also looks like he's running like a 28-year-old while hitting atop the lineup — and no longer bothered by the right ankle injury that plagued him for the first three months — would seem to be all the more intriguing to potential trade suitors. Utley cleared waivers last week and can be traded — and eligible for a postseason roster, too — before Sept. 1.

But after a flurry of rumors last week, including reports linking Utley to the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels, the man who would pull the trigger on trading the iconic Phillies second baseman quieted the talk, at least for one day.

Before the team took batting practice, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. reiterated a comment he made in a radio interview earlier in the day, that Utley would "very likely" remain with the Phillies for the rest of the season. Amaro said he's actually always felt that way, even during the barrage of rumors last week.

"I felt that from the time he became a 10-5 guy," Amaro said, referring to Utley's full no-trade clause as a player with 10-5 rights, at least 10 years of major league service time, including five with his current team. "I don't think that Chase has that desire to leave, frankly. And the Phillies don't have the desire to move him out of here. We're going to be open-minded about all of the opportunities that present themselves over the next couple weeks."

This does not mean that Utley absolutely will not be traded. It could be Utley and the Phillies attempting to gain some kind of leverage.

If the numerous reports are true, Utley and the Phils should be bargaining at a position of strength with the Giants, Angels, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers among the many in pursuit.

But it could also be what Amaro said — that Utley never had any intention of leaving.

Utley, who wasn't available to the media before Tuesday night's game and has shied away from all trade talk in the last two weeks, reportedly would only be interested in a trade if he would be playing regularly. San Francisco, which could be his top choice since he makes an offseason home in the area, likely cannot offer that when its second baseman (Joe Panik) returns from the disabled list next month.

Utley almost certainly has an eye on next season. While he could use his no-trade clause to negotiate a new deal for 2016 (as Jonathan Papelbon did with Washington) he also wants to play regularly so he can continue to prove he's a worthy asset for next season, too.

After Maikel Franco (fractured wrist) was likely lost for the season when he was placed on the DL yesterday, Utley will almost certainly get regular at-bats in the once-crowded infield for the next six weeks. But would he prefer to get those at-bats if another team — the Yankees? the Angels? — came calling in the next 13 days?

Only Utley knows for sure. He still holds all of the proverbial cards. He left the ballpark last night without talking to the media.

Since the return the Phillies would receive is uncertain, it's difficult to say if the inability to trade him would be a lost opportunity for the front office.

"I don't think it's a lost opportunity necessarily," Amaro said. "We have to assess a lot of different things about him being here. I think someone mentioned it before, but there are a lot of positives to still have Chase Utley in our uniform. We're happy to have him continue to do what he does for the fans, for our team and for the young players who are watching him. He goes about his business exactly how we want our players to go about their business. So I don't think there's anything bad about having him here."

On Twitter: @ryanlawrence21