Utley continues with long balls as Phils dump Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

06/02/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chase Utley continued his power surge with his fifth home run in five games then helped save the game with a diving stab, as the Philadelphia Phillies held off the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4, in the initial contest of a four-game set.

A warm night in Philadelphia brought the bats out at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park -- the site of five home runs in the game's first five frames.

One of those came from Philadelphia's likeliest source as of late.

Utley tied a franchise record with his fifth home run in five games, four of those Phillies victories. The second baseman finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, while his teammates also swung for the fences. Pedro Feliz hit a two-run shot and Chris Coste followed with a solo home run in support of Kyle Kendrick (5-2), who was hit hard but managed his way through 5 1/3 frames with four runs allowed on five hits.

The Phillies are 8-1 in Kendrick's last nine starts.

Jay Bruce continued a torrid start to his big-league career, hitting a solo home run with two runs scored. Adam Dunn drove home a pair of runs and Edwin Encarnacion hit a solo shot for the Reds, who had a three-game win streak stopped.

Bronson Arroyo (4-5), who hadn't given up a home run in his last five starts, served up three and has given up seven of his 11 home runs to the Phillies in two starts this season. The right-hander gave up 10 hits and five runs with a pair of walks and four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

After seeing their 5-1 lead dwindle to 5-4, the Phillies bullpen again steadied the ship. Tom Gordon worked a perfect eighth before Brad Lidge navigated the ninth with two strikeouts for his 14th save.

Lidge's save was nailed down only when Utley dove to his right and stabbed a line drive off the bat of Joey Votto.

The Phillies jumped out to a 2-0 edge in the home half of the first. Shane Victorino punched a single to left with one out then Utley continued his groove, lining a 3-0 offspeed pitch just over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-center for the 2-0 lead.

Bruce's solo shot just over the left-field fence and into the flower bed in the fourth cut the deficit in half before the Phillies again played long ball in the fourth.

Geoff Jenkins started the inning with an opposite-field double then Feliz swatted a 3-2 hanging slider deep into the seats in left for a 4-1 edge. Coste went back-to-back with a deep shot into the left-center field seats.

Encarnacion led off the top of the fifth with the game's fifth home run, this one a solo homer to left for a 5-2 game. The Reds added a two-spot after Kendrick's outing concluded.

Kendrick allowed a single to Bruce with Ryan Freel already on first courtesy of a force out. Chad Durbin relieved and yielded a two-run double to Dunn, leaving the score at 5-4.

Game Notes

Victorino increased his hitting streak to a career best 14 games...Utley is batting .419 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in his last eight games...The Phillies improved to 28-0 when leading after eight frames...Attendance was 38,530.

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Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

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Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

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