MILWAUKEE (AP) – No hiding the quiet bats of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell behind a win this time.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ power hitters struggled at the plate again Saturday night, much as they did in the first two games of the NL division series. But with the Milwaukee Brewers beating the Phillies 4-1, their lack of offense was all the more glaring. Even with Howard going 2-for-4 and getting his first RBI of the postseason, the three are just 4-for-28 in the best-of-five series.
For those who don’t have a calculator handy, that’s a .143 average for the heart of the Phillies’ lineup.
Philadelphia still leads the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday at Miller Park.
Utley, Howard and Burrell were a fearsome trio during the regular season, putting up the kind of numbers that earn teams spots in the playoffs and intimidate opposing pitchers. Howard made a case for the NL MVP, leading the league in home runs (48) and RBIs (146), and finishing sixth with a .543 slugging percentage as the Phillies won their second-straight East title. Utley and Burrell added 33 homers each, with Utley driving in 104 runs and Burrell drawing 102 walks.
But none has done anything quite so noteworthy in the playoffs. Burrell is still looking for his first hit after going 0-for-3 on Saturday, while Howard is now 2-for-8. Utley was 1-for-4 on Saturday, though he at least had a pair of RBIs in the first two games.
Not that their ineffectiveness mattered in the first two games. Cole Hamels dominated the Brewers in the opener, and Shane Victorino hit a grand slam off CC Sabathia to give the Phillies a commanding 2-0 lead in the short series.
But teams can only get by without their biggest hitters for so long.
“Hopefully today is a new day for them. We’re definitely going to need them,” leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins said before the game. “You can almost say they’re overdue.”
And they still are.
Utley blew a chance to get the Phillies on the scoreboard in the sixth, hitting a popup to short that was so shallow Jayson Werth had no chance at getting home from third. Howard got the job done, but it was on a groundout. He did have a leadoff double in the second and a single to start the ninth. He was left stranded both times.
As for Burrell, he was 0-for-3 before being lifted to make room for reliever Scott Eyre in the sixth inning.
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