Utley Suffers Concussion in Dramatic Win

The Phillies dramatic come-from-behind win over division rival Atlanta was marred by injury to the team's invaluable 2nd baseman.

Chase Utley was hit on the tip of the helmet by an Eric O'Flaherty 91 mph pitch in the 6th inning. Utley left the game for precautionary reasons after complaining of headaches. He likely has a "mild concussion," but was going for testing, said GM Ruben Amaro Jr. late Wednesday night.

"The way to describe it, he didn't feel 100% after getting hit," Amaro said. "He felt okay right afterwards, then started feeling a little fuzzy. We took the precaution to get him out of the game."

Amaro said it appeared Utley would be out at least a couple of days and that the 2nd baseman may not go to Milwaukee for a series this weekend against the Brewers, who have the 2nd best record in the NL. Utley wasn't on the team plane Wednesday night.

This has already been the smallest workload in a single season in Utley's career, which has often been injury shortened, but never like this. He is on pace to barely top 100 games this season and may now be headed to the DL.

"When you get a 90-plus mph fastball off the melon, you have to be cautious about it," Amaro said.

The GM also said the Phillies would activate Jimmy Rollins from the disabled list.

"I'll have Charlie use him (Rollins) in emergency purposes," Amaro said.

Rollins has been on the DL since August 22nd with a strained right groin.

Utley acted nonchalant when he was 1st struck. In his typical stoic style, the Phils iron-man who perennially leads baseball in being hit, took 1st base as though nothing had happened. "It seems like Utley doesn't know he was hit," said the announcers, although a glazed look in Utley's eye was noticeable when the cameras lingered on him at 1st before the next pitch of the game.

However, Utley quickly developed headaches and had to leave the game for a pinch-hitter in the 8th with 2 on and 2 out. He was taken to the locker room for further examination of a possible concussion.

“He won’t play the next couple of days, at least,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “The question is whether he will go to Milwaukee. We don’t know. We’ll have to see. Hopefully, he’ll be back for the weekend.”

The Phillies left Citizens Bank Park for the airport after Wednesday’s game to travel to Milwaukee for a four-game series against the Brewers that begins Thursday night.

Utley didn’t move to avoid the ball, which apparently took him by surprise.

“He didn’t see it,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “He definitely didn’t want to get hit in the head.”

Utley stayed in the game and played the field in the seventh and eighth inning before being lifted for pinch hitter Ben Francisco in the bottom of the eighth. He was treated in the trainer’s room after the game for the headache and was unavailable for comment.

The good news was that the Phils pulled off an 8th and 9th inning comeback against baseball's best bullpen.

The Phils lead the NL in batting average with 2 out and Runners in Scoring Position. They did it again Wednesday night behind league leader with 2 out and RISP Placido Polanco, who is hitting .269 in those situations.

Meanwhile, manager Charlie Manuel wanted to see if Roy Oswalt could pitch deep into games and be relied upon as the team's 4th playoff starter. Oswalt didn't disappoint, holding the Braves to 2 runs and 4 hits and striking out 7 in 7 innings. His fastball was consistently clocked at 92-93 mph, and he threw 116 pitches.

Coming in, Oswalt had been shellacked by the Braves. In 9 previous starts, he was 1-3 with a 5.56 ERA.

So, while Vance Worley has enabled the Phils to win each of the 14 times he has taken the mound, he is likely to be a spare bullpen arm come October. Amazing to have so much starting studs that a rookie who is 11-1 can sit on the shelf. These are the days for the Phils, their fans and their manager, who is rapidly approach Gene Mauch for the most wins for any Phillies manager, ever.

With the Phils 91st win of the season Wednesday, Manuel now has amassed 635 wins as their skipper, just 11 shy of Mauch's all-time top Phillies total. Mauch also presided over 684 losses, Manuel has led the team through only 476. Mauch never led the Phillies to the playoffs-- not once. Manuel has captured 25 playoff wins, 15 more than Dallas Green (2nd), the Phils' manager from 1979-81. Each man won 1 World Series. Green's win % was greater in the regular and postseason than Manuel's, although he managed several less years (3 years for Green, 7 and counting for Manuel).

The Phillies extended their lead over the Braves to 10½ games in the NL East. It was the 1st losing (3-game or more) series sweep of the season for the Braves, who looked dejected and downtrodden by the end of it.