You won’t find many prognosticators picking anyone other than the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East this season. With what looks like one of the great rotations ever assembled, there’s good reason for that. But the Phillies do have some issues as spring training comes to an end. And if those aren’t resolved, it’s likely the division race will be closer than most expect.
In large part that’s because of the loss of second baseman Chase Utley, who is dealing with arthritic knees. Reports say surgery will be postponed — but only because there’s no guarantee it will work. Utley will rehab, likely start the year on the disabled list and then see how much pain he can tolerate and how well he can perform on those sore knees.
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As tough as Utley is, he probably will get more out of himself than we think. But either way the Phillies can’t be the offensive powerhouse they have been. Jayson Werth is gone. His replacement, top prospect Domonic Brown, will start on the disabled list because of a broken hand. The replacements at second base, Luis Castillo, and right field, John Mayberry and Ben Francisco among other options, are not inspiring. Philadelphia has ranked first or second in the NL in runs scored every year since 2005. Last year it managed just 772 runs, the lowest total during that stretch. It’s good the pitching staff is primed for a historic season. It may need one to carry that offense to the playoffs.
