Daily Clips

August 17, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

OC REGISTER: Homecoming is a blast for Chase Utley as he has 2 HRs, 5 RBI in Dodgers' 15-5 rout of Phillies-Bill Plunkett Dodgers lineups: Brett Anderson good to go as rotation shuffle continues-Bill Plunkett Dodgers notes: Dodgers' Chase Utley, 37, wants to play in 2017-Bill Plunkett On deck: Dodgers at Phillies, Wednesday, 4 p.m. -Bill Plunkett DODGERS.COM: Utley's slam caps Dodgers' rout of Phillies-Evan Webeck and Todd Zolecki Chase jams: Utley hits slam in return to Philly-Evan Webeck Anderson set for next start after wrist scare-Evan Webeck Sheffield, Hansen among top prospect performers Tuesday-William Boor LA TIMES: Yasiel Puig thrives in minor leagues as Dodgers move into first place without him-Bill Shaikin Chase Utley's return to Philadelphia comes with a wallop in Dodgers' 15-5 win-Andy McCullough Dodgers push back Bud Norris and plan to start Ross Stripling on Thursday-Andy McCullough DODGER INSIDER: NL Westworld: Dodgers return to first-Jon Weisman Before rout began, hot Howie Kendrick’s homer was turning point-Jon Weisman Chase Utley has unforgettable return to Philadelphia-Jon Weisman Farm Fresh: Trevor Oaks fans 11 in complete game-Bart Harvey Dodgers activate Casey Fien from disabled list-Jon Weisman TRUEBLUELA.COM: Yadier Alvarez pitches 5 no-hit innings, Loons win 12-0-Craig Minami Chase Utley enjoys grand return to Philadelphia-Eric Stephen Dodgers shuffle starting rotation-Eric Stephen Justin Turner returns to Dodgers lineup after missing 2 games with hand contusion-Eric Stephen Dodgers activate Casey Fien from DL, option Brock Stewart to Triple-A-Eric Stephen ESPN LA: J.J. Hardy would come out of pingpong retirement for showdown with Clayton Kershaw-Eddie Matz Chase Utley hits two homers in first game back in Philadelphia-Jerry Crasnick Dodgers rout Phillies behind Chase Utley's solo shot, grand slam-AP NBC LA: Dodgers Have a Grand Day in Utley's Return to Philadelphia, Defeat Phillies 15-5-Michael Duarte Dodgers Activate Casey Fien from DL, Option Brock Stewart, Release Zach Walters-Michael Duarte USA TODAY SPORTS: Chase Utley's magical return to Philadelphia-Meghan Montemurro FOX SPORTS: Chase Utley returns to hero's welcome in Philadelphia, blasts two home runs-Rob Perez THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Utley gets two homers, two curtain calls in return to Bank-Matt Gelb Dodgers announcer Vin Scully started his 67-year career in Philadelphia-Frank Fitzpatrick Murphy: For Utley, a nice place to visit-David Murphy Donnellon: Cheers for Chase Utley recall the past, foreshadow the future-Sam Donnellon Chase Utley: ‘I’ll never forget’ ovations from Phillies fans-Matt Breen

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

OC REGISTER

Homecoming is a blast for Chase Utley as he has 2 HRs, 5 RBI in Dodgers' 15-5 rout of Phillies By Bill Plunkett PHILADELPHIA – It is definitely not always sunny in Philadelphia with a Phillies team deep in rebuilding mode. But the clouds parted long enough for the sun to shine on one of this city’s favorite former heroes Tuesday. Chase Utley hit two home runs and drove in five runs as the Dodgers routed the Philadelphia Phillies, 15-5, in Utley’s first game back in his former workplace. In 779 games at Citizens Bank Park over 13 years with the Phillies, Utley never had a two-homer game with as many as five RBI. He did it in his first game back as an opponent with a solo home run in the fifth inning and a grand slam that capped an eight-run seventh inning for the Dodgers. After each home run, the Phillies fans stood and applauded until Utley went to the top step of the dugout – the visiting dugout – and acknowledged the curtain call. “That was something truly special,” Dodgers outfielder Howie Kendrick said. “That’s pretty rare. You don’t see a visiting player get a curtain call. That shows you how much respect they have for him.” In fact, according to Elias Sports, there has been only one other opportunity for a double-curtain call homecoming in baseball history. Utley joined Frank Thomas as the only players to hit two home runs in a road game against a team for whom they previously played at least 1,500 games. “That’s awesome,” Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager said. “That’s a great tribute to him. You can’t write it any better than that.” The two-homer game was Utley’s first since May 29, when he went deep twice after Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard was ejected for throwing at him in apparent retaliation for Utley’s slide during the playoffs last fall that resulted in Ruben Tejada suffering a broken leg. Utley’s ability to rise to the moment on occasions like that was pointed out to him pregame but he shrugged it off. “That right there tells you he has the knack,” Seager said. “It doesn’t faze him. He never changes. He has zero heartbeat. Zero.”

It might have been fluttering during his first at-bat. Utley called it the most nervous at-bat of his career and he took a called third strike. He – and the rest of the Dodgers lineup – was more relaxed by the fifth inning after being held to two hits through four scoreless innings by Phillies starter Vince Velasquez. Velasquez got in trouble in the fifth. He gave up a two-run home run to Kendrick and Utley’s solo shot. An inning later, Yasmani Grandal hit a two-run home run, his 13th home run since June 30 (the most in the NL during that time). Kendrick's home run was one of his four hits in the game, including an RBI triple. He is 14 for 25 over his past six games with five multi-hit games and is 50 for 142 (.352) in 37 games since the start of July. That gave Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda a comfortable lead even before the eight-run seventh turned the game into a blowout. Maeda, who passed Clayton Kershaw for the team lead with his 12th win, went six innings and allowed only three hits – although two of them were home runs (solos by Cameron Rupp and Cesar Hernandez). “I tried to downplay it as much as possible,” Utley said of his return to Philadelphia. “But to be honest with you, it was something I was looking forward to for a long time.” Dodgers lineups: Brett Anderson good to go as rotation shuffle continues By Bill Plunkett PHILADELPHIA -- Left-hander Brett Anderson said his left wrist "feels good" two days after he sprained it on a play in the first inning of his season debut. He is pencilled in to start Saturday in Cincinnati as the Dodgers continue to piece together their starting rotation on a daily basis. "The range of motion has come back," said Anderson who underwent X-rays but not an MRI after fallilng on his wrist Sunday. "I'll throw my bullpen tomorrow or the next day. As long as there are no issues, everything should be good to go." Things did not go well in Anderson's first start since back surgery this spring. He allowed five runs on five hits (including two home runs) and was done after just one inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he did take some solace in making it back from his second back surgery. "It didn't last very long," he said of the start. "There was some satisfaction that I was on a big-league mound. It had been a long time." Before Anderson can get back on the mound, the Dodgers will give rookie right-hander Ross Stripling another start Thursday in Philadelphia. That will allow them to give Bud Norris another day's rest before activating him from the DL to start Friday in Cincinnati. Norris went 5 2/3 innings in a rehab start for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday. On Tuesday, the Dodgers did activate reliever Casey Fien (elbow tendonitis) from the DL and returned right-hander Brock Stewart to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Tonight's lineups: DODGERS (65-52) 2B Chase Utley SS Corey Seager 3B Justin Turner RF Josh Reddick 1B Adrian Gonzalez C Yasmani Grandal CF Joc Pederson LF Howie Kendrick RHP Kenta Maeda (11-7, 3.31 ERA) PHILLIES (56-63) 2B Cesar Hernandez CF Odubel Herrera LF Aaron Altherr 3B Maikel Franco 1B Ryan Howard C Cameron Rupp SS Freddy Galvis RF Peter Bourjos RHP Vince Velasquez (8-4, 3.94 ERA) Dodgers notes: Dodgers' Chase Utley, 37, wants to play in 2017 By Bill Plunkett

PHILADELPHIA – The Dodgers are in Philadelphia for homecoming week again. Last year, it was longtime Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins who was welcomed back as a favored guest in blue. This time, Chase Utley was greeted with a standing ovation more than a minute long and his favored walkup music – Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” The ovation was long enough for Utley, who spent 13 years with the Phillies – most of it as Rollins’ double-play partner, to take off his helmet and turn in acknowledgement to every section of the stands. “It’s completely overwhelming,” Utley said after the game. “The standing ovation my first at-bat is something I’ll never forget, to be honest with you. It was truly special.” That ovation – and the video tribute that played on the scoreboard between innings – was to be expected. More surprising – the Phillies fans gave Utley standing ovations after each of his two home runs helped the Dodgers dismantle the home team, not stopping until he came out to the top step of the visitors’ dugout for a curtain call. “Chase is a guy who goes about his business. I don’t know if he liked it or not,” Dodgers outfielder Howie Kendrick joked. “He goes about his business and once the game starts it’s ‘Game on’ and it’s that hard-nosed Chase we’ve seen over the years.” Utley might have summoned the old magic for one night in his return to Philadelphia. But the 37-year-old has looked more his age over the summer months. In his 53 games before Tuesday’s homecoming, Utley batted .228 with a .288 on-base percentage, just 15 extra-base hits (11 doubles, 4 home runs) and 25 runs scored. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts defended his decision to keep Utley at the top of the lineup against right-handed pitching. “I think the biggest thing for me why I keep him in the leadoff spot is his at-bat quality,” Roberts said. “I’ve always said I’m not as concerned about the numbers or the result as far as average or whatever. His at-bat quality is consistently as good as anybody in our lineup. “Yeah, Chase is not getting on base at the clip he was earlier. But we’re still scoring runs and I think Chase has something to do with that.” Utley’s influence on the rest of a lineup – and the rest of a clubhouse – was cited by GM Farhan Zaidi and Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman as a big reason they re-signed him over the winter after acquiring him from the Phillies a year ago. That influence has been invaluable this year, Roberts said. “You know what – if there’s any player you have to dig deeper than the numbers to find his value, Chase is head and shoulders above everyone else,” Roberts said. “As a manager, as a coach, when you want to play a certain style of baseball to have Chase exude that every single day and not take a pitch off has been invaluable for me as a first-year manager. From the first day I saw these guys in spring training to now, to see guys saying the right things, having the right conversations, playing the right way – a lot of that has to do with Chase.”

Despite his sagging production offensively, Utley said he plans to play again in 2017. “I do want to keep playing,” said Utley, who signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Dodgers last winter. “I haven’t thought about it too much because we’re in a playoff race. But my body feels good. I feel I can still contribute to a winning ballclub. As long as those two things hold up, that’s the plan, to keep playing.” ROTATION MATTERS The Dodgers will shuffle their starting rotation again this week – but it won’t involve subtracting left-hander Brett Anderson. Two days after spraining his left wrist in his season debut, Anderson said the wrist “feels good” and he is penciled in to make his next start on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. “The range of motion has come back,” said Anderson, who underwent X-rays but not an MRI after falling on his wrist Sunday. “I'll throw my bullpen tomorrow or the next day. As long as there are no issues, everything should be good to go.” Things did not go well in Anderson's first start since back surgery this spring. He allowed five runs on five hits (including two home runs) and was done after just one inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he did take some solace in making it back from his second back surgery. “It was obviously short but not very sweet,” he said of his first big league start since last October. “There’s a silver lining in that I was on a big league mound. It had been a long time. But I wasn’t able to really get into the flow of the game.” Before Anderson can get back on the mound again, the Dodgers will give rookie right-hander Ross Stripling another start Thursday in Philadelphia. That will allow right-hander Bud Norris another day's rest before he is activated from the DL to start Friday in Cincinnati. Norris went 52/3 innings in a rehab start for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday. ALSO The Dodgers activated reliever Casey Fien from the DL Tuesday and sent right-hander Brock Stewart back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Fien had been out since July 16 with elbow tendinitis. … Outfielder Zach Walters was given his release after being designated for assignment over the weekend to clear a 40-man roster spot for Anderson’s return. Walters was 0 for 5 in three games with the Dodgers last month. On deck: Dodgers at Phillies, Wednesday, 4 p.m. By Bill Plunkett Where: Citizens Bank Park TV: SNLA, 4 p.m.

Did you know: In 756 career games at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie, Chase Utley hit .293 with an .880 OPS and 127 home runs (second in stadium history behind Ryan Howard). THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP SCOTT KAZMIR (9-6, 4.44) Vs. Phillies: 1-2, 5.91 At Citizen Bank Park: 1-1, 5.40 Hates to face: Aaron Altherr, 1 for 3 (.333), 2B Loves to face: Tommy Joseph, 0 for 3, K PHILLIES RHP JAKE THOMPSON (1-1, 8.68) Vs. Dodgers: First game At Citizens Bank Park: 1-0, 5.40

DODGERS.COM

Utley's slam caps Dodgers' rout of Phillies By Evan Webeck and Todd Zolecki PHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley could not have scripted Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park any better than this. The Dodgers' second baseman received a nearly 90-second standing ovation from Phillies fans in the first inning before he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and a grand slam in the seventh inning in Los Angeles' 15-5 victory. He made curtain calls after each homer, completing a special and unforgettable night -- his first game back in Philadelphia since the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers last August. "We've had some great times here with great teams and played hard," Utley said. "Philly fans recognize the guys that play the game the right way. Like I said, they'll always have a special place in my heart for sure." The victory, and the Giants' loss to the Pirates, pushed the Dodgers into first place in the National League West, but this night was about Utley's return to Philly. "I held it together fairly well," he said. "It is a situation I've never been in before. It's something you can't describe in words. It is a special feeling to see the fans give you their support."

Howie Kendrick plated two with a shot two batters before Utley's solo jack, and Yasmani Grandal's two-run homer in the sixth was Velasquez's final straw. A walk to Joc Pederson ended Velasquez's night. In a rematch of pitchers from last Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium, Velasquez fared only slightly better. After giving up nine runs over 4 1/3 innings in Los Angeles, he allowed five over 5 2/3 on Tuesday. Kenta Maeda, however, turned in his best start in more than a month. He walked only one while striking out nine over six innings. The Phillies' only runs off Maeda came on separate solo homers from Cameron Rupp and Cesar Hernandez. Ryan Howard added solo shot in the seventh to move into 76th place on the all-time homer list with his 375th career homer. "I think it just goes to show you can change the uniform, but he's always going to be a Phillie at heart," Howard said. "He's always going to be a Phillie to everybody here. I thought it was great. I thought it was awesome. For the fans to give him a curtain call again, it shows what he was able to do here and the impact that he had here on the fans." Utley's return: The most surprising thing about Utley's return to Philadelphia wasn't just his two home runs, nor even the standing ovation and curtain call that followed each dinger. Really, it was that it took him until his third at-bat of the night to hit the first. But he more than made up for the wait, coming to bat with the bases loaded in the eighth and unloading. The grand slam nicely caps Utley's career in Philadelphia. His first Major League hit was a grand slam, way back in Veterans Stadium in 2003. In all, Utley finished his first game at Citizens Bank Park in a visiting uniform 2-for-5 with five runs driven in. Utley has hardly shied away from the big moments in his career. Just last week, in his first game against his old team, Utley homered in his first at-bat. There's no doubt there's a little extra adrenaline," Utley said. "With playoff baseball, we had a little practice with that over the years. Adrenaline can be your friend at times. Definitely a lot of adrenaline flowing tonight. After that first at-bat, I was able to calm down a little." Velasquez leaves early: Phillies manager Pete Mackanin wanted Velasquez to throw more changeups in his start last week against the Dodgers, when he allowed nine runs in 4 2/3 innings at Dodger Stadium. He threw a few Tuesday, but he didn't fare much better. He struck out 10 but allowed five runs on seven hits, including three home runs, in just 5 2/3 innings. "I can't express how tough this team is," Velasquez said. "I'm glad it's the last time I'm facing them." Maeda makes adjustments: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has noticed Maeda's ability to bounce back from tough outings. Facing the Phillies for the second straight start, that's exactly what he did. Maeda walked two -- the most in five starts -- and lasted only five innings his first time facing the Phils. On Tuesday, he followed that up by holding the Phillies to three hits over six innings with nine strikeouts, their only two runs coming on solo home runs. "Kenta threw the ball really well," Roberts said. "The fastball command was there -- he got a lot of strikes looking with the fastball, swing and miss with the fastball -- he kept those guys off balance. To see a team just recently and go out there, play the cat-and-mouse game, make adjustments -- Kenta did just that."

Elvis leaves the field: Phillies left-hander Elvis Araujo turned a three-run deficit into an 8-2 deficit. He walked Utley to start the seventh and eventually loaded the bases. He then hit Adrian Gonzalez with a pitch to force home a run and walked Grandal to force home another run. Michael Mariot took his place, but he eventually allowed the grand slam to Utley. Araujo's ERA -- which sat at 5.00 entering the night -- is now 6.91. "It is what it is," Mackanin said about the team's left-handed bullpen problems. "What you see is what we get. We just need to improve in that area." QUOTABLE "It's completely overwhelming. The standing ovation my first at-bat was something that I'll never forget, to be honest with you. It was truly special. It really shows how passionate and how great the Philadelphia fan base is. It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I've ever had, honestly, at any level. I was glad to get that first at-bat over with." -- Utley, on his reception from the Philadelphia fans "I definitely think it was something bigger than the game tonight," -- Howard, on Utley's return SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS It was the 52nd time in their careers that Utley and Howard have homered in the same game. Of course, this time they played for different teams. Hernandez walked in the third inning to reach base in 22 consecutive games. He then got thrown out trying to steal second base. UTLEY IS FAST Utley circled the bases in just 18.59 seconds in the fifth inning, his fastest trot around the bases this season according to Statcast™. He needed 19.97 seconds to circle the bases in the seventh. He entered the game averaging 20.12 seconds on home run trots. Utley wasn't sure if it was the fastest he had run following homers this season. "It happened pretty quickly," he said. "I know my [solo] home run I hit for my first hit, I was moving pretty quickly there around the bases. But maybe you can check Statcast™." WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Scott Kazmir (9-6, 4.44 ERA) faces the Phillies for the second straight start when the series continues at 4:05 p.m. PT at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. He was saddled with the loss, despite pitching six two-run innings, in the Phillies' lone win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles last week. Phillies: When Phillies rookie Jake Thompson (1-1, 8.68 ERA) starts on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. ET, he'll be looking to build on his start last weekend against the Rockies, when he allowed two hits, three runs, three walks and six strikeouts. Thompson is the No. 70 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

Chase jams: Utley hits slam in return to Philly By Evan Webeck PHILADELPHIA -- The fans had already seen what they came for. They had greeted Chase Utley upon his return to Philadelphia with a standing ovation of nearly 90 seconds. And Utley had returned the favor with a home run and subsequent curtain call in the fifth. But Utley has never settled for adequate. When he dug in with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, there was a reason jokes wafted through Citizens Bank Park that, Hey, wouldn't it be so stereotypically Utley to park a ball here? Then he did. The fans, for the fourth time on the evening, went wild. Utley finished rounding the bases and entered the dugout, only to exit seconds later for his second curtain call of the game. The clout was the punctuation on Los Angeles' 15-5 win, which pushed it past San Francisco, who lost to Pittsburgh, for first place in the National League West. "It happened pretty quickly," Utley said. "I know my [solo] home run I hit for my first hit, I was moving pretty quickly there around the bases. But maybe you can check Statcast™." Statcast™ calculated that Utley circled the bases on the first homer in 18.6 seconds, his fastest home-run trot of the season by almost a full second. Fans roared and rose to their feet before Utley's name had even been announced for his first at-bat. Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" begun playing from the loudspeakers, and Utley stepped from the on-deck circle into the batter's box. From the scheduled first pitch time of 7:05 p.m. ET until it was actually thrown at 7:08, Citizens Bank Park was stuck in time. Some were taking in the spectacle of Utley's first appearance back in the town in which he spent the first 13 seasons of his career. Others were harkening back to those years, which have been so often referred to as "the good times." The fans clapped and screamed. Utley turned and waved. He pointed to the fans and to Ryan Howard, who pointed back. Finally, Utley closed his fist, pounded his chest one last time and raised it toward the sky before taking strike one from Vince Velasquez. After a minute and a half of applause, Utley experienced a new sensation: nerves. "The standing ovation my first at-bat is something I'll never forget," Utley said. "It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I've ever had, honestly, at any level. I was glad to get that first at-bat over with, to be honest." By his third at-bat, though, those nerves had turned into full-blown adrenaline. "We had a lot of practice with that over the years," Utley said, referencing his playoff runs with the Phillies. "Adrenaline can be your friend at times. Definitely a lot of adrenaline flowing tonight."

Utley should get a full serving of adrenaline this season. The Dodgers are in the midst of a pennant chase. Meanwhile, the Phillies are two years into a rebuilding process that has seen every player from the teams that won five consecutive division titles depart except for Howard and Carlos Ruiz. "We had a lot of great times here at this stadium," Utley said before the game. "But in that five-year run, it was pretty special. When you look back on it, I just feel fortunate to have been on the team at that time. Because we had a pretty good squad." When the Phillies traded Utley last season, Howard and Ruiz became the lone remaining members of the 2008 World Series team. Their reunion has been a long time coming. The day Utley was dealt -- nearly a year ago to the day -- the Phillies held him out of the lineup as they finalized his move to Los Angeles. There were moving pieces, and the trade didn't get announced until about an hour after the last out of Utley's last game in Philadelphia. He tipped his cap to the fans afterward, but he was robbed of a proper farewell. "I didn't really have an opportunity to say goodbye," Utley said. "Everything kind of happened pretty quickly last year. If I were to write up a script it would have gone a bit differently." So in the moments leading up to Utley taking that first-pitch strike, it offered fans a chance to pay their respects to a catalyst in five division titles, two pennants and a World Series championship. The good times. They stacked five deep down the left-field line as Utley was the first Dodger on the field for pregame stretches. They piled over each other when Utley walked over and signed autographs up and down the line for 15 minutes. The first standing "O" came as his name was announced in the starting lineups (contrasted with an immediate round of boos for No. 2 hitter Corey Seager). It was the farewell that Utley never received. The treatment that Jimmy Rollins got after being traded to Los Angeles earlier last year. The same as Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and the other 19 since-departed Phillies who hoisted the World Series trophy in the air that October 2008 night. Utley is one of the few still playing. Jayson Werth is in Washington; Cole Hamels is awaiting his return in Texas. Joe Blanton, like Rollins last season, was reunited with Utley in the Dodgers' clubhouse. But Utley, now 37, has no plans on making this his final return trip to Philly. Although he's looking to sell his Philadelphia condo, he wants to continue playing after this season. Utley, however, finds himself in the middle of another pennant chase. He hasn't had much time to think about the future. It's not because of his on-base percentage or speed that manager Dave Roberts keeps Utley in the leadoff spot. The reason, like what so often separated Utley from the pack, is what doesn't show up on the stat sheet. "The biggest thing for me why I keep him in the leadoff spot is because of his at-bat quality," Roberts said. "If there's any player that you have to dig deeper than the numbers to find his value, it's Chase."

Anderson set for next start after wrist scare By Evan Webeck PHILADELPHIA -- Deep breath. The Dodgers won't lose another starting pitcher. Brett Anderson can move his wrist. "My arm feels good," Anderson said. "So I'm gonna throw a bullpen here tomorrow, the next day, and go from there." From there, for Anderson, means making his next scheduled start. Manager Dave Roberts slotted him into the rotation for Saturday's game against the Reds in Cincinnati. Anderson made his first start this season for Los Angeles on Sunday after undergoing back surgery in March. But the debut got cut far short when Anderson injured his wrist diving for a comebacker off the bat of Adam Frazier. He stayed in to record the final out of the inning, but his wrist stiffened in the dugout and, like that, Anderson's first Major League start of the season lasted just one inning. He allowed enough runs and hits in that inning to last a full start or two, though. The Pirates plated five on five hits, including two home runs, off Anderson in the single frame. "There's a silver lining in that I was on a big league mound and it had been a long time," Anderson said. "I wasn't able to really get into the flow of the game." As if the Dodgers hadn't been hit by the injury bug enough -- they have more pitchers on the DL than the active roster -- Anderson's injury history made the one-inning start cause for concern. But X-rays after the game came up negative. The Dodgers waited to see how time treated Anderson's wrist, and after playing catch Monday, Anderson expects to make his next start. Worth noting • Is it possible for the Dodgers to get two pieces of good injury news on the same day? The club activated right-handed reliever Casey Fien from the 15-day DL on Monday. He joined the team in Philadelphia, replacing Brock Stewart, who was optioned to Triple-A. "He feels good," Roberts said. "It's good to get Casey back and pitch him in the top of the 'pen and give us one-plus innings. Hopefully he does what he does." Los Angeles placed Fien on the DL a month ago with elbow tendinitis after he posted a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings for the Dodgers. Stewart appeared once after being recalled, allowing one run in three innings on Sunday vs. Pittsburgh. • With the Anderson news, there is more shakeup in the Dodgers' rotation. With Anderson tabbed for Saturday in Cincinnati, Roberts announced Bud Norris will start the series opener on Friday. Norris was originally penciled in to start Thursday's finale in Philadelphia, but Roberts wanted him to get an extra day of rest. Ross Stripling will start Thursday in Norris' place.

"It's not really opponent or ballpark driven," Roberts said. "It's just to give him an extra day -- and to not give Ross too much time off. So it kind of worked out that way." Even starting Thursday, Stripling will be pitching on six days' rest. Norris is coming back from a strained back that has kept him out since leaving his July 31 start early. He last made a rehab start Aug. 13, allowing one run over 5 2/3 innings for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. The Dodgers have yet to activate Norris from the DL; they'll have to clear room for him before Friday. Sheffield, Hansen among top prospect performers Tuesday By William Boor Justus Sheffield seems to like pitching in pinstripes. The Yankees' No. 7 prospect spun another gem Tuesday night and has been lights out since the organization acquired him at the non-waiver Trade Deadline. Sheffield led Class A Advanced Tampa to a 1-0 win over Clearwater with six scoreless innings. The No. 89 overall prospect threw 50 of his 82 pitches for strikes, gave up just three hits and lowered his ERA to 1.04 since joining Tampa. Sheffield, a 20-year-old left-hander, has made three starts with Tampa and has held the opposition to one earned run or fewer in each outing. "To be honest, I really didn't have my best stuff tonight," Sheffield told MiLB.com. "It took me a while to even find my slider, and it was off and on all night. I threw some changeups, which I really wanted to focus on coming in, getting my changeup established and trying to cut guys down on my changeup and get quick outs. I feel like I did a pretty good job with that tonight. My fastball command, it was there and then it wasn't." In total, Sheffield has tossed 17 1/3 innings, given up 10 hits and allowed two earned runs. He's also walked just four and struck out 17. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Tuesday: • No. 7 overall prospect Brendan Rodgers (Rockies' No. 1) hit his 16th homer of the season and extended his hitting streak to seven games with a 3-for-4 night with Class A Asheville. Rodgers is hitting .280 through 98 games. • Rafael Devers (Red Sox's No. 3) extended his hitting streak to six with his third game of four or more hits this season. The No. 21 overall prospect went 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and also drove in two runs, bringing his RBI total to 66 in 111 games.

• After his previous hitting streak ended after 50 games, Francisco Mejia (Indians' No. 4) didn't waste any time starting a new one. Mejia, the No. 95 overall prospect, hit a two-run homer in his first at-bat as part of a 2-for-4 game with Class A Advanced Lynchburg. • J.D. Davis (Astros' No. 15) hit a pair of solo homers in a 2-for-4 game with Double-A Corpus Christi. The 23-year-old hit his 17th and 18th homers of the season in his second multi-homer game of the year. • Patrick Weigel (Braves' No. 29) was brilliant once again for Class A Rome. After tossing seven scoreless frames, Weigel has held the opposition without an earned run in three of his past four appearances. The 22-year-old fanned nine and lowered his ERA to 2.51. • Ryan McBroom (Blue Jays' No. 28) put together his second four-hit game of the season for Class A Advanced Dunedin. McBroom filled up the box score, going 4-for-5 with a double, triple, three RBIs and two runs scored. "I just stepped in, got comfortable and my approach was right," McBroom told MiLB.com. "I was staying on the fastball today, which allowed me to get the barrel to the ball and get some balls to the gaps, which was a good feeling." • After struggling with command in his past two starts (seven walks in 8 1/3 innings), Cardinals' No. 13 prospect Jake Woodford threw 42 of his 64 pitches for strikes over five scoreless frames for Class A Peoria. The 19-year-old scattered four hits and walked one. • Dodgers' No. 6 prospect Yadier Alvarez fired five no-hit innings for Class A Great Lakes. The 20-year-old struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 2.36 through six starts with Great Lakes. • Make that four consecutive starts in which Giants' No. 5 prospect Sam Coonrod has held his opponent to one earned run. The 23-year-old lowered his Double-A Richmond ERA to 2.80 with six innings of three-hit ball. Coonrod struck out one and walked two in the team's 5-1 win over Reading. • Mets' No. 27 prospect P.J. Conlon put together another strong start for Class A Advanced St. Lucie. The 22-year-old lefty struck out five over 5 2/3 scoreless frames, giving up just three hits. Conlon has given up one earned run or less in six of his past seven appearances. • Kyle Freeland (Rockies' No. 8) completed seven innings for the 10th time this season (23 total starts across two levels), turning in a gem for Triple-A Albuquerque. The 2014 first-round selection surrendered six hits across seven scoreless frames, walking two and striking out three. • Tigers' No. 26 prospect Grayson Greiner set a season-high in hits and tied his season high in RBIs with a breakout game for Double-A Erie. Greiner went 4-for-5 with three RBIs as Erie topped Harrisburg. • Alec Hansen (White Sox No. 8) fired five hitless innings for Rookie-level Great Falls. Chicago's second-round pick threw 48 of his 85 pitches for strikes, walked three and struck out four. Hansen has a 1.47 ERA through six starts with Great Falls and hasn't given up an earned run in seven of nine professional appearances.

• White Sox No. 21 prospect Jake Peter hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs for Triple-A Charlotte. The slam was just Peter's second homer in 44 Triple-A games this season and his sixth in 112 games. The 23-year-old finished 2-for-4.

LA TIMES

Yasiel Puig thrives in minor leagues as Dodgers move into first place without him By Bill Shaikin If Yasiel Puig were hitting to his capabilities, the Dodgers probably never would have sent him to the minor leagues. For all the talk of his coachability and his need to be a better teammate, teams tend be far more tolerant of players whose bats strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. If his first seven games at triple-A are any indication, Puig has not lost that capability. He is batting .481, with 13 hits in 27 at-bats. He has hit three home runs and struck out once. His OPS is 1.474. The Dodgers are not likely to jump to any grand conclusions based on seven minor league games. Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts noted the other day that triple-A pitching is not what it used to be, with young starters often promoted from double-A to the major leagues, and with the use of seven-man and eight-man bullpens in the majors requiring extra relievers that otherwise would be at triple-A. For their part, in the 13 games since they announced that Puig would be demoted, the Dodgers are averaging 5.2 runs per game — a small sample size, to be sure, but up from their season average of 4.5. Josh Reddick, the replacement for Puig in right field, is batting .163 and has yet to hit a home run or drive in a run. But the bottom line might be this: The Dodgers just moved into sole possession of first place in the National League West, for the first time since May 10. The Dodgers have not said when — or if — Puig would return to Los Angeles. “I think that’s up to Yasiel,” Roberts said the other day. “If he chooses to continue to grow as a baseball player and as a man, then he’d be welcome back here.” The better Puig plays in the minors, of course, the greater the interest might be in another team trading for him. Puig lives in Miami, and the Marlins have a desperate need for a right-handed hitting outfielder. But Puig has a checkered history with the Marlins’ manager, a guy by the name of Don Mattingly. Chase Utley's return to Philadelphia comes with a wallop in Dodgers' 15-5 win By Andy McCullough

As each home run took flight, a sea of red rose to salute a player wearing the visiting gray of the Dodgers. The sports fans of this city carry a reputation for a charming blend of passion and poison, but they have never been considered traitorous. Only one player can make them root against their own. They know Chase Utley as “The Man” in this town, a nickname bestowed upon him a decade ago by legendary broadcaster Harry Kalas, and his return to Citizens Bank Park in a 15-5 Dodgers victory incited a series of wonders. Utley spent 15 years inside the Phillies organization, and the crowd rewarded him with unceasing adulation. The first ovation he received delayed the game’s first pitch. The \crowd showered him with cheers whenever he appeared at the plate. The gratitude extended to absurd levels later in the evening, after Utley launched a solo homer in the fifth and a grand slam in the seventh. The fans did not jeer or groan — they jumped to their feet and remained standing until Utley completed a curtain call from the visitors’ dugout. “It’s completely overwhelming,” Utley said. “The standing ovation before my first at-bat was something that I’ll never forget, to be honest with you.” The night belonged to Utley, who appeared here for the first time since the Phillies traded him last August, but his teammates aided his cause. The Dodgers (66-52) mashed three home runs off Philadelphia starter Vince Velasquez. Kenta Maeda limited the Phillies to two solo homers during six innings. Yasmani Grandal reached base four times, and launched a two-run homer in the sixth inning that, for a brief moment, took some attention away from Utley. “It was an honor and an amazing experience to be part of something like this today,” Maeda said. Added Howie Kendrick, who hit a go-ahead homer in the fifth: “That’s something that was truly special.” Utley was rehabilitating an injury last season when Jimmy Rollins, his longtime partner at shortstop here, visited with the Dodgers. Utley watched some video of the reception before this week. He admitted the prospect of Tuesday impeded his usual tunnel vision. “It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Utley said. The city feted Utley like a visiting dignitary. CSN Philly filmed his arrival at the Dodgers hotel Monday evening. Fans mobbed him for autographs along the left-field line. A member of the local media asked about the status of his residence here. “We still have a place,” Utley said during a news conference before the game. “We’re working on selling it. So if anybody in this room is looking for a nice condo downtown, come talk to me.” When Utley led off in the top of the first inning, the public address announcer introduced him with gusto, as the strains of his longtime walk-up song, “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin, pealed through the ballpark. The standing ovation lasted 81 seconds. Utley doffed his cap and saluted the panorama around him. At first base, his longtime teammate Ryan Howard beamed. He entered the batter’s box, but the applause did not end. His face bore an expression that resembled a grimace flirting with a smile. He stepped back out, waved and pumped his fist.

“It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I’ve ever had, at any level,” Utley said. The cheers did not end so much as segue into another pop, this one registering a strike thrown by Velasquez. Still searching for an inner calm, Utley struck out. He flied out his next time up. For his third appearance, Utley came to the plate shortly after Kendrick’s homer. He waited for the cheering to fade and feasted on a fastball from Velasquez. His blast caused the crowd to gasp, a moment of shock followed by an extended roar. Utley sprinted around the bases. “It doesn’t faze him,” rookie shortstop Corey Seager said. “He doesn’t change one way or the other. He has zero heartbeat.” Utley ducked his head inside the Dodgers dugout as his teammates enveloped him. The group implored him to greet the crowd, so Utley climbed the steps to wave his helmet. In the seventh, as the Philadelphia bullpen self-immolated in an eight-run inning, Utley faced reliever Michael Mariot with the bases loaded. He ripped a fastball over the fence in right. His pace resembled the one he embarked on during his first hit in the majors, a grand slam at Veterans Stadium on April 24, 2003. Thirteen years later, The Vet is a parking lot and Utley resides on the opposite coast. A fan seated near the dugout held a sign that read “A Phillie Forever.” Wearing the blue and gray of his new club, Utley took a second curtain call for a second gesture of thanks. As he retreated to be among his new teammates, Manager Dave Roberts slapped him on the backside. “His pulse is unparalleled,” Roberts said. “I’m glad he’s a Dodger.” Dodgers push back Bud Norris and plan to start Ross Stripling on Thursday By Andy McCullough The ever-twirling carousel that is the Dodgers starting rotation continued to spin Tuesday, as the team pushed back Bud Norris’ return from the disabled list to Friday and penciled Ross Stripling into a start Thursday. “It’s just more of just giving Bud an extra day,” Manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s series opener against the Phillies. “It’s not really the opponent or ballpark-driven. It’s just more to give Ross not too much time off. So it worked out that way.” Norris has not pitched these last two weeks because of a lower back strain. He left his start on July 31 after only two batters due to the discomfort. In a start last week against Pittsburgh, Stripling pitched into the seventh inning for the first time since his debut. For now, Brett Anderson is scheduled to start Saturday. He is recovering from a wrist injury suffered in a disastrous outing Sunday. He played catch Tuesday and reported a full range of motion with his arm. He will throw a bullpen session later this week as a checkpoint.

Anderson experienced an ignominious 2016 debut. After undergoing back surgery in March, he returned for all of one inning. He allowed five runs and injured his wrist trying to field a grounder. The lone positive Anderson could locate was a lack of lingering discomfort in his back. “It was obviously short, but not very sweet,” Anderson said. “But all things considered, I feel good.” SHORT HOPS: After missing a month with elbow tendonitis, Casey Fien rejoined the Dodgers bullpen Tuesday. He replaced pitcher Brock Stewart, who was optioned to triple-A Oklahoma City. Fien gave up runs in four of his seven appearances in July, posting an 11.57 earned-run average.

DODGER INSIDER

NL Westworld: Dodgers return to first By Jon Weisman Eighty-five games after they last held the lead, 41 games after Clayton Kershaw last held the mound, the Dodgers have returned to first place in the National League West. Three hours after the Dodgers pounded the Phillies, 15-5, San Francisco put runners on second and third with one out in the ninth inning but fell to Pittsburgh, 4-3, giving Los Angeles a view atop the division for the first time since May 10. The bookends? Home runs by Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who hit two off Kenta Maeda on May 11 to knock the Dodgers into second place. Tonight in Arizona, Syndergaard hit his third homer of the year, heralding the Dodgers’ re-ascension. Since June 26, the Dodgers have gone 25-16 (.610), while the Giants are 17-25 (.405). The Dodgers have 44 games to play, and nine of them — more than 20 percent — against the Giants. Before rout began, hot Howie Kendrick’s homer was turning point By Jon Weisman In every other way, this was Chase Utley’s night. He was welcomed home by his longtime fans in Philadelphia with a prolonged standing ovation. He homered — against the Phillies — and they begged him for a curtain call. He hit a grand slam, and the begged him for another. But in one very specific way, tonight was about the fact that we are in the midst of one of the most meaningful stretches of Howie Kendrick’s 11-year MLB career.

KendrickThe Dodger Insider cover guy ripped a mammoth two-run homer to center and flipped a one-run deficit in the fifth inning, part of a 4-for-5 night in the 15-5 victory that, pending the final score of the Giants’ game against Pittsburgh tonight, put the Dodgers in a tie for first place in the National League West. Given that Utley and Yasmani Grandal would later homer off Vince Velasquez (who became the first opposing pitcher since Curt Schilling in 1997 to strike out 10 Dodgers while allowing three home runs — the second time in a week Velasquez was thrice hammered by Los Angeles), maybe Kendrick’s homer wasn’t as crucial as it seemed in the moment. But there’s no denying what it felt like at the time, or how valuable Kendrick has been to the Dodgers this summer. Consider that since the All-Star Break, Kendrick was equal to NL MVP candidate Kris Bryant in wins above replacement among NL left fielders, trailing only Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun. His weighted runs created (148) was higher than Bryant’s (125) entering tonight. But feel free to go back farther. Since May 1, Kendrick has a .367 on-base percentage, .468 slugging percentage and .835 OPS. Grandal, who went 3 for 4 with a bases-loaded walk, resumed his own torrid hitting after going 0 for 8 in his previous two games. Since June 1, Grandal has a .398 OBP while slugging .585. Kenta Maeda allowed two solo homers but only one other hit in his six innings, walking one and striking out nine. Chase Utley has unforgettable return to Philadelphia By Jon Weisman Fairy tales might or might not come true, unless you’re Chase Utley, in which case they certainly do. In his first game as a visiting player in Philadelphia after 14 years of wearing a Phillies uniform, including their 2008 World Series championship season, Utley did nothing less than hit two home runs — the second a grand slam — before calling it a night in the middle of the seventh inning, after the Dodgers had taken a 13-2 lead. Utley received a prolonged standing ovation at the start of the game, but that wasn’t the last time he’d bring the crowd to its feet. In the fifth inning, Utley followed Howie Kendrick’s two-run, lead-changing home run with a solo shot to give Los Angeles a 3-1 lead. In the seventh, Utley not only put the cherry on top, he supplied the entire sundae, hitting a grand slam to cap an eight-run inning for the Dodgers, their most grandiose frame since September 15, 2014 in Colorado.

Utley’s flair for the dramatic, however unintentional, has been remarkable this year. In his first two games at New York since he became the third rail of Mets-Dodgers relations during last year’s National League Division Series, Utley had four RBI on May 27 and then had a solo homer/grand slam combo May 28. Farm Fresh: Trevor Oaks fans 11 in complete game By Bart Harvey Oklahoma City’s Trevor Oaks threw a three-hitter Monday in an 8-1 victory — finishing a four-game sweep by the Dodgers’ Triple-A team over El Paso. The 23-year-old Oaks, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, notched a career-high 11 strikeouts in addition to registering his first complete game this season. The right-hander has pitched well of late, recording seven quality starts in his last eight outings with a 2.40 ERA. “The last two outings I’ve had, I’ve started throwing my cutter more,” Oaks told Tyler Maun of MiLB.com. “I was doing that a lot in Tulsa, and then when I first came here, I kind of stopped and got away from that. I started going back to that and it worked out really well.” Earlier this year, Oaks was named a Texas League All-Star for his work as a member of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Before getting called up to Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 21, Oaks went 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 63 innings (10 starts) with the Drillers. Oaks was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 draft by the Dodgers. In other news in the farm system… Devan Ahart helped lead Rancho Cucamonga to a 4-2 victory over Modesto, thanks to a triple in the ninth and a double in the 10th. Ahart finished the night 3 for 4 and has recorded multiple hits in three of his last four contests. In six games since August 10, Ahart has gone 10 for 22 to raise his batting average to .272. Gavin Lux of the Arizona League (Rookie) Dodgers extended his hitting streak to eight games and is batting .394 (13-for-33) with four extra-base hits during the run. This year’s first-round draft pick has a .387 on-base percentage in 38 games. Dodgers activate Casey Fien from disabled list By Jon Weisman Casey Fien has been activated from the disabled list by the Dodgers, who optioned Brock Stewart to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room on the roster.

Fien went on the DL on July 19 with elbow tendonitis, following a stretch in which he allowed six runs (including four home runs) in 3 2/3 innings. Before that, Fien had a 1.96 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings as a Dodger. Stewart allowed a run in three innings after relieving Brett Anderson in the second inning Sunday against Pittsburgh. It was Stewart’s first big-league relief appearance after two starts. The Dodgers also released Zach Walters, who had been designated for assignment Sunday.

TRUEBLUELA.COM

Yadier Alvarez pitches 5 no-hit innings, Loons win 12-0 By Craig Minami Oklahoma City's loss ends their six-game winning streak, however Tulsa, Rancho Cucamonga and Great Lakes post wins. As for the Rookie Leagues, Ogden has to go 15 innings to win, AZL Dodgers lose and both Dominican Dodger teams are victorious. Player of the day Yadier Alvarez continues to be impressive with the Loons. Alvarez has made six starts and in 26⅔ innings, he has struck out 42 and walked just seven. On Tuesday, Alvarez pitched five scoreless innings, giving up no hits, walking three and striking out eight. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers were defeated 6-2 by the Isotopes (Rockies) and saw their six-game winning streak end. Jeremy Kehrt gave up six runs in four innings and Kerht took the loss. Five Dodger relievers combined to pitch five scoreless innings. Included in that group was the rehabbing Adam Liberatore, who pitched one inning and struck out two of the three batters he retired. The Dodgers were held scoreless until the eighth when Yasiel Puig hit his third home run for Oklahoma City. For the game, Puig was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Puig has played seven games in this current assignment and he has hit .481/.548/.926 in 31 plate appearances. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers scored four runs in sixth inning which led to a 9-5 win over the RockHounds (Athletics). This was the Drillers fourth straight win as they try make a move towards the playoffs. Cody Bellinger hit his 18th home run in the sixth to put the Drillers ahead to stay.

Bellinger was far from the only offensive star of this game. Kyle Garlick was 4-for-5 with a double and 2 RBI, Jacob Scavuzzo had two hits including his 10th home run of the season. Alex Verdugo and Willie Calhoun each had two hits. Andrew Sopko, who won his first game for the Drillers, pitched five innings and gave up three runs. Joe Broussard pitched the final 1⅔ innings for his fourth save with the Drillers. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes beat the Nuts (Rockies) 6-4 to win their fourth straight. Gavin Pittore won his first game aa a Quake as he pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings and struck out four. Alex Burgos got his first save. The Quakes would get out to a 6-0 lead before the Nuts scored. Erick Mejia played a key role in four of the runs, Mejia scored in the first after singling and stealing a base. In the second inning, Mejia tripled in two runs. Finally, Mejia ground out produced the fourth run of the game. Matt Beaty and Devan Ahart also had two hits in the game. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons were led by solid pitching and an 18-hit attack to shutout the Lugnuts (Blue Jays) 12-0 at Cooley Law School Stadium. Both Yadier Alvarez and Mitchell White had good outings. As noted already. Alvarez pitched five scoreless innings, later in the game, Mitchell White made his eighth two inning appearance. It should be noted that the last two appearances have been in relief. On Tuesday, White allowed no runs, one hit, one walk and struck out four. As for the potent Loons' offense, four Loons had three hits apiece, Brendon Davis, Ibandel Isabel, Logan Landon, and Saige Jenco. Omar Estevez and Zach McKinstry both had two hits. Isabel hit his first triple and third home run with the Loons. Estevez continued his hot second half, he has a six-game hitting streak and has multi-hit game in five of those games. Pioneer - Ogden The Raptors scored a run in the eighth to tie and then it took seven more innings before they could claim a 2-1 win over the Voyagers (White Sox). With one out in the fifteenth. Moises Perez singled and was then sacrificed to second. The winning run scored on Brandon Montgomery's infield single. Nolan Long had an impressive five inning start. Long allowed one run on six hits, walked two and struck out seven. Arizona League - AZL Dodgers

AZL Dodgers lost to AZL Indians 11-5 on Tuesday evening. Gavin Lux made three errors and now has 13. Carlos Rincon hit his fifth home run with Arizona. Dominican Summer League - Dodgers One & Dodgers Two Dodgers One defeated the Orioles Two 5-2 and Dodgers Two won their game 5-3 over Rays One. Transactions Triple-A: Los Angeles Dodgers sent left-handed pitcher Adam Liberatore on a rehab assignment to Oklahoma City. Double-A: Tulsa released catcher Vinny DiFazio. Rookie: Right-handed pitcher Carlos Felix assigned to AZL Dodgers from Ogden; Ogden released right-handed pitcher Gregor Mora. Tuesday Scores Albuquerque 6, Oklahoma City 2 Tulsa 9, Midland 5 Rancho Cucamonga 6, Modesto 4 Great Lakes 12, Lansing 0 Ogden 2, Great Falls 1 (15) AZL Indians 11, AZL Dodgers 5 Dodgers One 5, Orioles Two 2 Dodgers Two 5, Rays One 3 Wednesday Schedule 4:05 p.m. PT - Great Lakes (Jordan Sheffield) at Lansing (TBD) 4:30 p.m. - Tulsa (Scott Barlow) at Midland (Heath Fillmyer) 5:05 p.m. - Albuquerque (German Marquez) at Oklahoma City (Jose De Leon) 6:00 p.m. - Great Falls (Bernardo Flores) at Ogden (Willian Soto) 7:00 p.m. - AZL Dodgers at AZL Angels 7:05 p.m. - Rancho Cucamonga (Michael Boyle) at Modesto (Parker French)

Chase Utley enjoys grand return to Philadelphia By Eric Stephen Home runs were the name of the game for the Dodgers on Tuesday night, including two from Philadelphia hero Chase Utley in beating the Phillies 15-5 in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The win pulled the Dodgers into a tie with the Giants in the National League West for the moment. Los Angeles will either lead or trail the division by a half-game pending the result between the Pirates and Giants in San Francisco on Tuesday night. Utley was the man of the hour on Tuesday night, in his first game back in Philadelphia after 12 years with the Phillies. He received a long standing ovation of nearly a minute and a half before his first plate appearance, but the signature moment came in the fifth inning. Utley took Vince Velasquez deep for a solo home run, widening the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1, but what was key was what came afterward. From a fan base in a city widely known for booing Santa Claus and cheering a stretcher-ridden Michael Irvin, and more specifically booing Mike Schmidt, the best player to ever play for the Phillies franchise, the denizens at Citizens Bank Park not only gave Utley another standing ovation after his home run, but also willed a curtain call out of him. But he wasn’t done! Utley started a seventh-inning rally with a walk, then ended it with a grand slam, his second home run of the night earning Utley yet another standing ovation and his second curtain call of the night. Again, he is a visiting player. Utley on the season is hitting .282/.351/.431 on the road compared to .223/.305/.341 at home. In National League East parks, his old stomping grounds, Utley is 14-for-38 (.368) with five home runs, two doubles and 17 RBI in nine games. The Dodgers have had 10 different players drive in four or more runs in a game in 2016. Eight players have done it once, and Justin Turner has two such games. Utley has done it four times this season. Utley wasn’t alone in the offensive barrage. Chase Utley got a long standing ovation before his first at-bat. Before Utley’s first home run, Howie Kendrick gave the Dodgers a lead with a two-run shot to dead center field. It was his second home run in eight days against Velasquez, and extended his hitting streak to six games.

Five of those games have been multi-hit games for Kendrick, who also tripled and was 4-for-5 on the night. He is 14-for-25 (.560) during his streak, and since July 1 is hitting a robust .352/.414/.577 with 21 extra-base hits in 37 games. Kendrick now has eight home runs, on a team that already has seven players with 10 or more home runs, including Utley who joined the club on Tuesday. The Dodgers franchise record for most players with 10 home runs in a season is nine, set in 2004. Yasmani Grandal added a two-run shot in the sixth, also his second home run against Velasquez in eight days. Grandal was 3-for-4 with a walk on the night. Those three home runs spoiled a 10-strikeout night for Velasquez, who also allowed three home runs last Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers scored 14 runs in 10⅓ innings against the right-hander, who allowed 13 runs and three home runs in 41 innings over his previous seven starts. The Dodgers matched a season high with 15 runs in the win. Going deep All that offense was much appreciated by Kenta Maeda, who struck out nine in his six innings for his 12th win of the year, and his fifth straight start won by the Dodgers. Maeda allowed just three hits, two of them leaving the park with solo home runs by Cameron Rupp and Cesar Hernandez. Maeda lasted six innings for the 13th time in his 24 starts. The Dodgers are 9-4 in those starts, and 6-5 in his other, shorter outings in 2016. Doubles Corey Seager contributed to the Dodgers’ eight-run inning, their largest output in any inning this season, with a double, his 33rd of the season, one off the National League lead. He’s on pace for 45 doubles on the season, something done only four times in Dodgers franchise history. Wild thing Elvis Araujo had a rough seventh inning, loading the bases then completely losing the strike zone. He hit Adrian Gonzalez then walked Grandal and Joc Pederson to force in three more runs. The bases loaded hit by pitch of Gonzalez was the second by the Dodgers in 2016, joining Scott Van Slyke, who was plunked by Madison Bumgarner to force in a run in San Francisco on April 9. RBI Segedin Rob Segedin didn’t even start on Tuesday, but he hit a bases-loaded single as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and a run-scoring ground out in the ninth. Segedin has eight RBI in 23 major league plate appearances.

Up next Scott Kazmir gets the ball on Wednesday night, in the middle game of the series, facing right-hander Jake Thompson, the latter making his third major league start. Tuesday particulars Home runs: Howie Kendrick (8), Chase Utley 2 (10), Yasmani Grandal (19); Cameron Rupp (14), Cesar Hernandez (3), Ryan Howard (18) WP - Kenta Maeda (12-7): 6 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts LP - Vince Velasquez (8-5): 5⅔ IP, 7 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts Dodgers shuffle starting rotation By Eric Stephen As has been the case for a few weeks now, it’s tough to project the Dodgers starting rotation out more than a couple of days. On Sunday, manager Dave Roberts said Bud Norris would start the series finale on Thursday, but now that has been altered. Roberts said before Tuesday’s game against the Phillies that Norris would be pushed to Friday against the Reds, with Ross Stripling starting Thursday in Philadelphia. Both will be starting on five days rest. Brett Anderson left his Sunday start with a mild left wrist sprain after giving up five runs in one inning. He will prepare for Saturday in Cincinnati with a bullpen session in Philadelphia. Moving Norris to Friday also allows the Dodgers to keep nine relief pitchers for an extra game, as Norris will be activated from the disabled list when he makes his start. Justin Turner returns to Dodgers lineup after missing 2 games with hand contusion By Eric Stephen For the first time since Friday, Justin Turner is back in the Dodgers’ starting lineup after missing two games with a right hand contusion. Turner is in his usual third spot in the batting order in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Turner was a late scratch on Saturday with the right hand contusion, and he was held out of Sunday’s game as well.

It was the first time Turner missed a game since June 28, and the first time all season he has missed two games in a row. After microfracture surgery to repair damage in his left knee, the third baseman has been quite durable this season, playing in 110 of 117 games, including 100 starts. Starting Lineups Dodgers Phillies 2B Utley (L) 2B Hernandez (S) SS Seager (L) CF Herrera (L) 3B Turner LF Altherr RF Reddick (L) 3B Franco 1B Gonzalez (L) 1B Howard (L) C Grandal (S) C Rupp CF Pederson (L) SS Galvis (S) LF Kendrick RF Bourjos P Urias (L) P Velasquez Location: Citizens Bank Park Time: 4:05 p.m. PT TV: SportsNet LA Radio: AM 570 The only other time Turner didn’t start for two straight games in 2016 was April 23-24. Turner is hitting .274/.341/.501 this season, already setting career highs in home runs (21), RBI (67), runs scored (56) and total bases (201). He is also close to several other personal bests in 2016, three hits, four doubles and four walks away from tying those marks. He also has a hit in 11 straight starts, dating back to July 30, hitting .326 (15-for-46) with seven doubles and three home runs in those games. Included in that surge was 2-for-3 and a home run last Tuesday at Dodger Stadium against Vince Velasquez, who starts the series opener for the Phillies tonight, one week later. Turner on the season is hitting .305/.381/.574 away from home, with 12 of his 21 home runs and 17 of his 26 doubles hit while wearing the road grays. Dodgers activate Casey Fien from DL, option Brock Stewart to Triple-A By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers on Tuesday activated relief pitcher Casey Fien from the disabled list before their series against the Phillies, and optioned pitcher Brock Stewart to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Fien was placed on the disabled list on July 19 with right elbow tendonitis, and the right-hander missed 24 games. He pitched in four games on a minor league rehab assignment, totaling five innings between the Arizona Rookie League and Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, including back-to-back games for the Quakes on Thursday and Friday.

Stewart was up as long man insurance on Sunday, and was very much needed, throwing three innings in relief of starter Brett Anderson, who exited after one inning with a mild left wrist sprain. This move allows the Dodgers to carry nine relief pitchers for the first two games of their series in Philadelphia, at least before Bud Norris is activated from the disabled list to start the Thursday finale. The Dodgers claimed Fien off waivers from the Twins on May 7. In 21 games for the Dodgers, Fien has a 4.09 ERA with 19 strikeouts and two unintentional walks in 22 innings. He has also allowed seven home runs during his time with LA, and combined with his first month of the season with Minnesota, Fien has a 5.55 ERA in 35 games in 2016 with 12 home runs allowed, one shy of the major league lead among relief pitchers. In another transaction, the Dodgers released utility man Zach Walters, who was designated for assignment on Sunday. The switch-hitter, acquired from the Indians on April 10, hit .276/.326/.444 with 32 extra-base hits in 94 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He started 25 games at first base, 20 games at third base, 17 games at shortstop, 13 games at second base, six games in left field and three games in right field in 2016. In a brief stint with the Dodgers, Walters was 0-for-5 in three games.

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J.J. Hardy would come out of pingpong retirement for showdown with Clayton Kershaw By Eddie Matz Just because J.J. Hardy was once the best pingpong player in the majors doesn’t mean that he still is. “When I’m playing a lot, I can be pretty good,” Hardy says. “But I haven’t played in three years.” Actually, that’s not entirely true. This past spring training, the Orioles shortstop messed around a little with teammate Darren O'Day. But when it comes to real game action, it has been a while. Earlier in his career, the 33-year-old veteran routinely ran the table that sits smack dab in the middle of the home clubhouse at Camden Yards. But a few years ago, he developed shoulder issues. In an effort to play through it, he decided that clowning around in the clubhouse wasn’t worth it. Not that he takes his pingpong lightly. “I can't get on the table without getting serious,” says Hardy, whose childhood home in Tucson, Arizona, featured a pingpong table in the carport and two parents who were college athletes at the University of Arizona (dad played tennis, mom played golf). “I get on the table and everybody starts watching. My reputation precedes me.”

J.J. Hardy's shoulder issues have driven him away from the table, but the O's shortstop might pick up the paddle again to face Clayton Kershaw, once L.A.'s ace is healthy enough. Icon Sportswire, Getty Images Or at least it did. Several spring trainings ago, after briefly putting his pingpong game on pause, Hardy returned to the table. The results weren’t pretty. “O'Day beat me. [Chris] Tillman beat me. I think Manny [Machado] beat me. It was humbling.” So instead of laying his rep on the line when he couldn’t perform at his best, the two-time All-Star decided he was better off not performing at all. Since then, according to Hardy, recently reacquired utility man Steve Pearce and O’Day have become kings of the clubhouse. But if you think Hardy has hung up his paddle for good, a quick look inside his locker indicates otherwise. On a shelf, hidden by a few hanging jerseys, is a fancy schmancy carrying case, about the size of a laptop computer. Black with red trim, it zips open to reveal three balls, a small bottle of cleaner and two Butterfly blades that retail for well into triple digits. “I won’t play with another paddle.” He’s such a pingpong junkie that he has made a habit of chatting up opposing players to see who the big kahunas are in other clubhouses around the league. “You hear a lot about Clayton Kershaw.” He’s even talked to the Dodgers ace’s teammates to see how he stacks up. “I’ve asked Andre Ethier and Howie Kendrick, because they've seen me play pingpong,” says Hardy. “They say it'd be a good match.” If it ever happens, that is. While Hardy’s shoulder issues have driven him away from the table, Kershaw -- who has been out since late June with a herniated disc -- probably won’t be picking up a paddle anytime soon. If and when both players are whole enough to square off, Hardy isn’t about to rush into a battle royale. “I'd like to play a little bit before I play in one like that. There’s a lot riding on it when you have a reputation of never losing." So what if the reputation’s a little outdated. Chase Utley hits two homers in first game back in Philadelphia By Jerry Crasnick PHILADELPHIA -- Each time the 37-year-old, Dodger Blue version of Chase Utley stepped into the batter's box Tuesday night, his former employers rolled out a new flourish to remind him of the gold-plated, Philadelphia red segment of his major-league career. As Utley strode toward home plate to face Vince Velasquez in the top of the first inning, the Phillies played his Led Zeppelin walkup song, "Kashmir," in honor of his return to Citizens Bank Park. The crowd responded on cue, standing and cheering for almost 90 seconds as Utley doffed his helmet, patted his heart and showed some genuine emotion beneath that typically stoic exterior.

During Utley's subsequent plate appearances, the scoreboard showed photos of him in his evolution from earnest first-round draft pick to franchise favorite. One minute he appeared on the Jumbotron as winner of the Paul Owens Award as the Phillies' top minor-league position player in 2002. Two innings later, he reappeared beneath a ballcap and some facial stubble, exuding a Matthew McConaughey-like brand of cool in a pose from the team's 2006 Charity Calendar. All this reminiscing eventually got the juices flowing and prompted Utley to commandeer the driver's seat in the way-back machine. He launched a 96 mph fastball from Velasquez into the right-field seats in the fifth inning, and capped off his night with a grand slam two innings later to lead the Dodgers to a 15-5 rout of the Phillies. The win helped move the Dodgers into sole possession of first place in the National League West after the San Francisco Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates late Tuesday. That's quite an achievement given the Dodgers' season-long run of injuries and the early hole they dug for themselves. But on this night, pennant races and practical concerns took a backseat to a heartfelt reunion. Before the night was through, the Philadelphia crowd gave Utley three standing ovations and summoned him for two curtain calls. Philly fans have a reputation as cynical and hard-bitten. But when they fall for an athlete, they fall hard. "It's completely overwhelming," Utley said in a postgame news conference. "The standing ovation my first at-bat is something I'll never forget. It was truly special. It really shows how passionate and how great the Philadelphia fan base is. It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I'll ever have at any level. I was glad to get it over with, to be honest with you." It's hard to articulate the full extent Phillies fans love Utley, and would never dream of letting him buy a beer in the confines of the 215 area code. Part of it is the consistent performance that places Utley near the top of so many offensive categories in franchise history. He ranks among the Phillies' top 10 in games, hits, runs, doubles, homers, RBIs and walks. And with six All-Star Game appearances, Utley ranks fourth among Phillies behind Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt (12), Steve Carlton (seven) and Robin Roberts (seven). Beyond the numbers, Utley played the game with a Derek Jeter-like field awareness and a sense of his surroundings that Philadelphia fans hold near and dear. They paid attention when he ran out every ground ball, advanced from first to third on a single, and found a way to win games by anticipating situations. Utley enjoyed his signature, Jeter-like postseason moment in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, when he threw out Tampa Bay's Jason Bartlett after an artful deke at second base. "I never really made it look easy out there," Utley said. "There are so many times I'd meet a father with his son or even a mother who would praise the way I played, and would tell me they want their son to play that way. To me, that's a true compliment." It was a painful yet necessary and inevitable part of the Phillies' rebuild when former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. traded Utley to Los Angeles for minor-league pitcher John Richy and infielder Darnell Sweeney on Aug. 19 of last season. But Utley's first trip back to Philadelphia was worth the wait, not to mention chock full of statistical oddities.

During his tenure with the Phillies, Utley played 779 games at Veterans Stadium and Citizens Bank Park and never hit two home runs and drove in five home runs in the same game. It took him five plate appearances as a Dodger to achieve the feat. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Utley became only the second player to hit at least two homers in his first road game against a team that he played at least 1,500 games for. The other hitter to achieve the feat was Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, who went deep twice for the Oakland Athletics against the Chicago White Sox in 2006. Nights like this have been less common as Utley tries to find a way to navigate the rigors of a long season at an advanced baseball age. Before Tuesday's barrage, he was hitting only .231 with four homers in 208 at-bats since the start of June. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts keeps running him out there in the leadoff spot because of what Roberts calls his consistently good "at-bat quality." Roberts is also a sucker for leadership skills. Every day, he sees Utley's work ethic and example rub off on Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and the other young Dodgers in a way that can only benefit their development. "If there's any player that you have to dig deeper than the numbers to find his value, Chase is head and shoulders above everyone else," Roberts said. "When you want to play a certain style of baseball, to have Chase exude that every single day and not take a pitch off, it's been invaluable for me as a first-year manager." Utley is all about style and substance. He sprinted around the bases after his first home run and picked it up a notch after the grand slam. "Adam Rosales is probably the only guy you're going to catch with a faster home run trot," teammate Howie Kendrick said. When asked if the second trot was the fastest of his career, Utley shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe you can check Statcast." Some numbers simply can't calculate a player's impact on a roster, or a city. The outpouring of affection for Utley was a fitting tribute for his 13 years of hard, professional play, and his contribution to the Phillies' extended run of success from 2007 to 2011. But unbeknownst to them, the 28,118 fans in attendance were on the receiving end of some equally fervent gratitude. "I should be thanking them," Utley said. "They motivated us and pushed us in the right direction. I'm a true believer that the fans made us better players individually and gave us a chance to win on a daily basis. The true thank-you should be to them." Chase Utley, an athlete who has always taken pains not to reveal too much of himself for public consumption, rode adrenaline and love to a memorable homecoming Tuesday night. Now, to his everlasting relief, he can just go back to playing baseball.

Dodgers rout Phillies behind Chase Utley's solo shot, grand slam By AP PHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley added another memorable moment to his career in Philadelphia -- almost a year after he last wore a Phillies uniform. Utley got curtain calls after each of his two home runs -- including a grand slam -- in his first game at Citizens Bank Park since being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 19, 2015. Those cheers came after fans greeted him with a 1½-minute ovation before he struck out leading off the Dodgers' 15-5 rout of the Phillies on Tuesday night. "It's completely overwhelming," Utley said. "The standing ovation my first at-bat is something I'll never forget. It was truly special." Utley was a six-time All-Star in 13 seasons as Philadelphia's second baseman, helping the team win five straight National League East titles and the 2008 World Series. Fans showed their appreciation with four standing ovations. "It's something you can't really describe in words," Utley said. "It's a special feeling to see the fans show that much support." In the fifth, Utley hit a two-out solo homer off Vince Velasquez (8-5) and raced around the bases in customary fashion. Fans clamored for a rare curtain call by a visiting player, and Utley obliged to another standing ovation. In the seventh, Utley hit a grand slam off Michael Mariot, and fans again cheered him back out of the dugout. It was Utley's seventh career grand slam. His first career hit was a slam at Veterans Stadium. "It's just good to be back," he said. "I tried to downplay it as much as possible, but it's been something I've been looking forward to for a long time." The win even helped propel the Dodgers into first place in the NL West when the San Francisco Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates later Tuesday. "It couldn't have been scripted any better," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Utley's presence put a buzz in Philadelphia's ballpark during what has been a lackluster season. Fans applauded when he jogged to the outfield for warm-ups, and he twice stopped to sign autographs between conversations with former teammate Ryan Howard in center field. There were signs throughout the ballpark welcoming Utley back. "We had a lot of great times here at this stadium," Utley said prior to the game. "I spent so much time here, so many great memories. I can't really say enough about the support I received. Obviously, we had some great players and great coaches, but the fans kind of took us to the next level." As Utley hit leadoff wearing his familiar No. 26, public address announcer Dan Baker introduced him to shouts and applause, including from players on both teams. Utley doffed his helmet and waved to the

crowd, and when he tried to step to the plate, fans continued their ovation. Plate umpire Ron Kulpa moved to clean home plate while Utley stepped out again, touching his heart and raising his fist in appreciation. "I truly believe without their support and without them pushing us to be better, we would not have had the team that we had," Utley said of the fans. Utley never got a chance to acknowledge the fans after the trade because it wasn't finalized until after that night's game. "I didn't really have an opportunity to say goodbye," Utley said. "If I were to write up a script [last year], it would have gone a bit differently." He departed the Phillies after playing 1,551 games, compiling 1,623 hits, 142 homers and 916 RBIs. Utley remains one of the most beloved Philadelphia athletes ever for his talent, hustle and grit. "There are so many times I'd meet a father with his son, or even a mother, who would praise the way I played and would tell me they want their son to play that way," Utley said. "To me, that's a true compliment." MAEDA WINS AGAIN Kenta Maeda (12-7) allowed two runs and three hits in six innings with nine strikeouts and one walk for the Dodgers, who began Tuesday a half-game back of the Giants in the NL West and leading the NL wild-card race by 3½ games. KENDRICK, GRANDAL HOMER Howie Kendrick had four hits, including a home run and a triple, and drove in three runs for Los Angeles, while Yasmani Grandal homered and had three hits. HOWARD, RUPP GO DEEP Howard and Cameron Rupp went long for the Phillies, who had won four straight. TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: Los Angeles reinstated RHP Casey Fien (right elbow tendinitis) from the 15-day DL. Fein, who is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA, last pitched on July 16. ... 3B Justin Turner returned to the lineup after missing two games due to a right hand contusion. Phillies: Velasquez appeared to be favoring his left side in his final inning. He limped off the field when manager Pete Mackanin removed him from the game. Velasquez had a stint on the DL from June 10-27 for a right biceps injury. UP NEXT

Dodgers LHP Scott Kazmir (9-6, 4.44) faces Phillies RHP Jake Thompson (1-1, 8.68) in the second matchup of the three-game series.

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Dodgers Have a Grand Day in Utley's Return to Philadelphia, Defeat Phillies 15-5 By Michael Duarte Ain't life Grand. Chase Utley hit two home runs including a grand slam in his return to Philadelphia as the Los Angeles Dodgers dominated the Phillies, 15-5, on Tuesday night at Citizen's Bank Park. "Tonight was a special night," Utley told Kelli Tennant of SportsNetLA of his return to Philadelphia. "It was a lot of fun seeing the Philly fans again, most importantly, it was a good win." Philly fans came for the cheesesteaks, but they stayed for Utley as the hometown faithful gave their hero his just due, with not one, not two, but three standing ovations on the night. "That was the last thing I was expecting," Utley said of his standing ovations that led to mulitple curtain calls. "Knowing these fans, I had a feeling that if I did something, they were going to be cheering for me, and they were." Utley obliged the fans he spent 13 years playing in front of with three separate curtain calls, including a 90-second salute before he stepped into the batter's box to start the game. "That's something that's truly special and they gave him a long ovation too," teammate Howie Kendrick said of Utley's tribute. "That means he's done something special here. He's been a great player for us and a great player here too. It's rare for a visiting player to come out and give a curtain call, that shows you how much respect they have for him here." On the field, Utley was a battering ram that continued to bludgeon his former team, with a multi-homer game that came with a side of five RBIs. "Certain players have the ability to rise to the occasion and not succumb to the pressure," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Utley's performance. "What he did in NY and tonight, there's so much expectation. His pulse is unparalleled. I'm glad he's a Dodger." The home run happy ballpark lived up to its billing as seven total bombs were hit out of the park on Tuesday night. Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal and Utley all went deep for the Dodgers as the team scored 13 of their season-high 15 runs in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings, respectively.

"It's always important to score runs," Utley added. "We have a good hitting team and we continue to get better on a daily basis. Hopefully, we continue to improve on that." Cameron Rupp, Cesar Hernandez, and Ryan Howard all homered for the Phillies who have now lost three of their last four games against the Dodgers in the last week. Kenta Maeda took over the L.A. lead for most wins on the team (Kershaw-11) and limited the damage for the Dodgers despite two of the three hits allowed leaving the park. "The team has been putting up a lot of runs for me lately so it's enabled me to attack the hitters," Maeda told the media through an interpreter after the game. "I changed my routine a little bit, made some adjustments and I thought I did well." Maeda (12-7) allowed two runs—both solo homers—on three hits with nine strikeouts in six solid innings. "It was just an hoinor and amazing experience to be part of something like this today," Maeda said of starting on the night Utley returned to Philadelphia. "Hitting a home run and getting a standing ovation was pretty incredible, I'm just happy to be a part of it." Kendrick finished 4-for-5 with a triple, home run and three RBI and has gone 14-for-25 with five doubles, two homers, a triple and eight RBI in his last six games. "It's fun. We've just been going out and competing and guys have been putting good at-bats together," Kendrick said of the offensive attack lately. "It seems like everyone has stepped up. All the guys are having success at the plate and everyone is feeding off of that." Grandal homered for the second time in a week off Philadelphia pitcher Vince Velasquez with a two-run shot in the top of the sixth. Since June 30, Grandal leads the National League in home runs with 13 and leads the league in slugging percentage (.710) and is third in on-base percentage (.434). Velasquez (8-5), fell victim to the hot-hitting Dodgers for the second time as he allowed five runs on seven hits including three home runs with 10 strikeouts in 5 and 2/3 innings pitched. Velasquez became the first pitcher to allow three home runs while striking out 10 against the Dodgers this season. "We came to swing today," said shorstop Corey Seager. "A lot of good at-bats a lot of battling. That's what you're looking for." Despite the Dodgers power surge and offensive output, the night belonged to Utley who hit his first grand slam in Philadelphia since 2005 and launched career home runs 128 and 129 at Citizens Bank Park, good for second all-time behind Ryan Howard who hit No. 194 in the game. "It couldn't happen to a better person or player," Roberts said of Utley. "For him to be received the way he was and get a standing ovation, it couldn't have been scripted any better." After the victory, Los Angeles moved into a tie for first place in the NL West with the rival San Francisco Giants who will host the Pittsburgh Pirates with the division lead on the line later Tuesday night.

Players of the Game: Chase Utley: 2-for-4 with a home run, grand slam and five RBI. Howie Kendrick: 4-for-5 with a triple, home run and 3 RBI. Yasmani Grandal: 3-for-4 with a home run, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. Three Takeaways: 1. All Hail Utley: Chase Utley is still the man in Philly as the Dodgers second baseman hit two home runs including his second grand slam of the season in his return to Philadelphia for the first time since he was traded last August. 2. Utley Rises in the East, Sets in the West: Chase Utley played his first 13 seasons with the Phillies before joining the Dodgers last season. He currently stands second for most homers at Citizens Bank Park and sixth all time in Philadelphia franchise history with 233 homers as a member of the Phillies. 3. Volatile Velasquez: Philadelphia starting pitcher, Vince Velasquez became the first pitcher to allow three home runs to the Dodgers while still managing to strike out 10 batters in the game. Up Next: Dodgers (66-52): Scott Kazmir gets the call for L.A. on Wednesday at Citizens Bank Parkk. Phillies (56-64): Jake Thompson will start for Philadelphia t 4:10 PM PST. Dodgers Activate Casey Fien from DL, Option Brock Stewart, Release Zach Walters By Michael Duarte The Los Angeles Dodgers made some moves on Tuesday ahead of their three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Right-handed relief pitcher Casey Fien was activated off the 15-day disabled list and pitcher Brock Stewart was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. In a subsequent move, Zach Walters, who was designated for assignment on Sunday was released from the team. Fien is a flame-throwing reliever who was placed on the DL on July 19th with right elbow tendonitis. He missed 24 games at the Major League level before making four rehab assignments in Class-A Rancho. Fien is a close personal friend of another Dodger starting pitcher, Bud Norris, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list with a lat muscle injury in his back. Norris was the best man in Fien's wedding as the two pitchers were roommates together at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in college. Meanwhile, Stewart worked his role to perfection as he was called up on Sunday as an insurance policy on starting pitcher Brett Anderson who made his 2016 season debut after missing most of the season with a back injury.

Stewart's role as the long man was called upon when Anderson hurt his wrist trying to field his position in the first inning. The Dodgers removed the left-hander from the game for precautionary reasons and Stewart was required to throw three innings of relief in his stead. With Stewart unavailable for the next few days, the Dodgers opted to send him back down to OKC and activate Fien so they could carry nine relievers on their seven-game road trip to Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Norris is expected to be activated off the DL on Thursday and start in the game, and the team will likely option another reliever giving them eight for their four-game series with the Reds. Some might remember Walters as a utility player who made his Dodgers debut after the All-Star break. Walters became the odd-man out when the team needed to open a roster spot for the return of Anderson on Sunday. After an 0-for-5 stint at the Major League level, Walters was hitting .276 in 94 games with OKC. He was released by the team on Tuesday.

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Chase Utley's magical return to Philadelphia By Meghan Montemurro PHILADELPHIA – Ninety seconds passed before Phillies fans' standing ovation and relentless cheers died down enough for Chase Utley to finally step into the batter's box to open Tuesday's game at Citizens Bank Park. It was the perfect beginning of magical performance in Utley's first game back in Philadelphia. The night could not have played out any better for the 37-year-old second baseman. Three days shy from the one-year anniversary of his abrupt departure from the Phillies, Utley hit two home runs, including a grand slam, in the Los Angeles Dodgers's 15-5 win against the Phillies. Utley's home runs prompted two standing ovations — a frequent sight Tuesday night — and two curtain calls, a rarity for a visiting player. "It’s completely overwhelming," Utley said after the game. "The standing ovation in my first at-bat is something that I’ll never forget, to be honest with you. It was truly special. It shows how passionate and how great the Philadelphia fan base really is." Obviously, Utley is not a typical visiting ballplayer. He's beloved by Phillies fans for the way he played and everything he did to help the organization succeed, including winning the 2008 World Series title, during his 13-year career in Philadelphia. Yet Utley's performance was as improbable as it was amazing.

It was his first multi-homer game at Citizens Bank Park since July 23, 2011. And it had been more than 11 years since Utley hit a grand slam in Philadelphia, last accomplishing the feat June 1, 2005. Utley's only other multi-homer game in 135 career games with the Dodgers came May 28 in New York against the Mets, a team he has tormented throughout his career. The grand slam was the seventh of his career, and it was fitting he hit one against the Phillies. Of course, his first big-league hit was a grand slam back in 2003 during a Phillies win at Veterans Stadium. Utley's solo home run in the fifth and his grand slam in the seventh, part of an eight-run inning for Los Angeles, resulted in cheers and celebration from Phillies fans despite him wearing the Dodger blue. Tuesday felt like a throwback to the good years in Philadelphia after Ryan Howard joined Utley in going deep. He hit a two-run homer in the seventh, only minutes after Utley's grand slam. It was Howard's 375th career home run and his 18th of the season. Howard and Utley homered in the same game for the 52nd time in their respective careers and for the first time since April 13, 2014. "I think it just goes to show you can change the uniform, but he’s always going to be a Phillie at heart," Howard said of the fans' support of Utley. "He’s always going to be a Phillie to everybody here. Again, I thought it was great. I thought it was awesome. For the fans to give him a curtain call again, it shows what he was able to do here and the impact that he had here on the fans." Back where he became one of the most beloved players in franchise history, Utley admitted it was weird walking in the ballpark as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He reported to the visitors' clubhouse, a place he estimated he'd spent only 10 minutes in during his career. "We had a lot of great times here at this stadium, obviously bringing the championship here," Utley said. "But in that 5-year run, it was pretty special. When you look back on it, I just feel fortunate to have been on the team at that time." The Dodgers' three-game series in Philadelphia provides the opportunity to make up for what didn't on the night of Aug. 19, 2015: allowing Utley to acknowledge Phillies fans and give them an opportunity to show their appreciation for the six-time All-Star. That's exactly what happened. Fans gave Utley a standing ovation that felt never ending prior to his at-bat to leadoff the game. His longtime walk-up song, Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," played after Utley's name was announced. Utley tipped his helmet to fans and towards the Phillies' dugout while starter Vince Velasquez stood off the mound to let Utley have his moment. Utley struck out looking in his first at-bat. "It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I've ever had, actually, at any level," Utley said. A video featuring highlights from Utley's Phillies career played before the top of the third inning.

"I didn’t really have an opportunity to say goodbye," Utley said. "Everything kind of happened pretty quickly last year. If I were to write up a script, it would have gone a bit differently." Utley knew the Phillies were working on a trade that August night ahead of the waiver deadline and was kept out of the lineup as the two teams neared an agreement. But the deal wasn't announced until nearly 11 p.m., long after the Phillies' game had ended. The unusual circumstances meant there was no in-game acknowledgment that Utley's career in Philadelphia was over. Although he doffed his cap to the fans behind the Phillies' dugout after the Phillies' win against the Blue Jays, it wasn't the recognition Utley deserved. Utley, who was leading off and starting at second base for the Dodgers on Tuesday, expected an exciting night during his first appearance back in Philadelphia. "There are a lot of things that run through your mind," Utley said. "But you try to chalk it up to another baseball game, obviously it’s a little bit different for me because I spent so much time here, so many great memories here." Utley, who plans to play in 2017, has been known for his intensity and ability to lock away his emotions on the field or in front of cameras. Well, except when giving a speech to celebrate the Phillies' 2008 World Series title. "This guy is more or as focused as any player I have ever seen," manager Pete Mackanin said. "He is almost overly intense. He is just totally in. So he's all-in every day. And that's the kind of player you want everybody to be like, that cares and wants to win, smart player, just a great addition to any team." Before the game, Utley was unsure if he'd be able to stay focused and not let the situation affect him. Afterwards, he said he managed to hold it together fairly well. "We’ve had some great times here with great teams and played hard," Utley said. "Philly fans recognize the guys that play the game the right way. They’ll always have a special place in my heart for sure. "I’m a true believer that the fans made us better players individually and gave us a chance to win on a daily basis," he added. "The true thank you should be to them." Utley spent time before the game signing autographs for fans along third base side of the field and caught up with a few teammates, including Howard, in the outfield between sprints. When his name was announced in the starting lineup, fans stood and cheered, repeating the action when he stepped into the batter's box to open the game to honor "The Man" who appeared in more than 1,550 games with the Phillies. Tuesday represented a great moment for Phillies fans to show what Utley has meant to them and the franchise. The number of Utley jerseys and shirseys in the crowd were easily the most seen in the stands during a game this season. Regardless of whether Utley one day earns a spot in the Hall of Fame — his career numbers are intriguing, which features a .279 average, .362 on-base percentage, 375 doubles, 246 home runs and 1,021 runs scored — he's clearly a beloved figure in Philadelphia sports history. Phillies fans and Utley finally had their overdue moment of closure and celebration Tuesday, one that neither side will likely forget any time soon.

FOX SPORTS

Chase Utley returns to hero's welcome in Philadelphia, blasts two home runs By Rob Perez Almost exactly one year ago to the day, Chase Utley was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tuesday night, at long last, he finally returned to the city where he spent 12 seasons playing, won a World Series ring, and was a six-time all-star. As expected: Utley received a booming ovation and heroic welcome back from the Phillies faithful. And just like he did for more than a decade in front of the Philly fans, he absolutely raked -- hitting two homers, one a grand slam. Now if only the Dodgers could get Utley to play like this in stadiums not named Citizens Bank Park, they'd be on to something ...

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Utley gets two homers, two curtain calls in return to Bank By Matt Gelb For 19 seconds, Chase Utley circled the bases as an opposing player in South Philadelphia, and an entire ballpark stood. Utley did not slow his emotionless jog after he touched home plate. As he returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout, a nearby fan held a sign that read, "CHASE UTLEY, A PHILLIE FOREVER." Utley disappeared into the dugout in the fifth inning of a 15-5 Phillies loss. The home fans kept yelling. His Dodgers teammates mobbed him. The cheers at Citizens Bank Park endured. So Utley stepped onto a bench with his right foot. He raised his blue Los Angeles helmet to reveal his graying hair. He smirked. The second baseman who won a city's obstinate approval with his uncompromising style had done it. A curtain call. For an opposing player. In Philadelphia. And that was just his first one of the night. "It just goes to show you can change the uniform," Ryan Howard said, "but he's always going to be a Phillie at heart. He's always going to be a Phillie to everybody here." The Phillies lost because Vince Velasquez allowed three more home runs, but that is not what they will remember about the 120th game, the sweltering night that Chase Utley gave fans of a rebuilding team two more indelible memories.

His solo homer in the fifth inning pushed the Dodgers further ahead, 3-1. Then, in the seventh inning of a rout, Utley crushed a grand slam to right. He sprinted around the bases in 20 seconds, greeted three teammates, and left no doubt. Utley, 37, emerged on the dugout steps to wave his blue helmet again. Thirteen years ago, his career began at Veterans Stadium with a curtain call for a grand slam - his first major-league hit. That was before he was "The Man" and a world bleeping champion. Now, another grand slam is Utley's bookend. "Philly fans recognize guys that play the game the right way," Utley said. "They'll always have a special place in my heart, for sure." His newest feat is safe. Will any other visiting player ever enjoy three standing ovations and two curtain calls on one night in Philadelphia again? "I understand it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I get it. But I prefer not to talk about it. I'm sure he came in here to beat us. He did a lot of damage." "I understand," Velasquez said. "He's a legend here." "I thought it was great," Howard said. "I thought it was awesome." In this city, there are few recent comparisons. In 1995, Andre Dawson received a standing ovation at Veterans Stadium for his 400th National League home run. Cal Ripken Jr. homered in his last game at Philadelphia in 2001, and Phillies fans stood to cheer that. Darren Daulton, one of the most beloved players in franchise history, homered at Veterans Stadium as a Florida Marlin at the end of the 1997 season. That stirred a standing salute. And, in 2010, Jim Thome homered while with the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning of a blowout. Fans stood to applaud for that. But this? Utley, before the game, predicted it would be emotional. The Phillies greeted him with Led Zeppelin. The fans even booed at strike one. Utley struck out. He flied to left in the third. Utley regretted not being able to say goodbye to the fans last August when he was traded. It was absurd to imagine this. "It's something you can't really describe in words," Utley said. "It's a special feeling to see the fans show that much support." Velasquez allowed three homers in the span of eight batters. His ERA rose to 4.14. He finished with 10 strikeouts - his highest total in three months - and just one walk. But the same problems that have affected him for much of the season lingered. After Utley's second curtain call, the Phillies' deficit was double digits, and the 15th-largest crowd of the season was pleased. Sweaty and incredulous, the fans headed for the exits.

Dodgers announcer Vin Scully started his 67-year career in Philadelphia By Frank Fitzpatrick If he were a younger, more sentimental man, Vin Scully probably would have accompanied the Dodgers to Philadelphia for the Citizens Bank Park series that begins Tuesday. But the sport's most eloquent, mellifluous and beloved broadcaster is 88 now and happy for any respite from the spotlit hoopla that has accompanied his 67th and last season. A final visit here would have brought Scully full circle, back to the city where, in the third inning of a Dodgers-Phillies game at Shibe Park on April 18, 1950, his long and distinguished career officially began. No tapes survive from that Philadelphia debut, when partners Red Barber and Connie Desmond yielded the mike to him for the third and seventh innings of the Phillies' season-opening 9-1 victory. And Scully, who has politely declined most interview requests, including from the Inquirer, has said he recalls almost nothing from that first of more than 10,000 broadcasts as a Dodgers announcer. "But the one thing I do remember," Scully said last year, "was that I was terrified." On that springtime Tuesday in 1950, the Dodgers were the defending National League champions about to open the season against the Phillies. As 29,074 fans entered the North Philadelphia ballpark - an opening-day record for the historically forlorn franchise - there was palpable promise in a city that hadn't witnessed postseason baseball since the Athletics, the Phillies' Shibe Park landlords, lost the 1931 World Series. Young and talented, the 1950 Phils already had a sports-page nickname, the "Whiz Kids." Seeking to capitalize on the optimism, owner Bob Carpenter heeded a fashion suggestion from manager Eddie Sawyer. "Our uniforms were the ugliest things you ever saw," Sawyer recalled in 1990. "I thought our young team needed a new look." So that day, for a first time, the Phils wore the uniforms that 66 years later remain standard home attire. Milky white with red pinstripes and the team's name in red script across the chest, they were boldly accented by cherry-red caps and socks. As the freshly outfitted Phillies were thumping Brooklyn - the Dodgers had yet to relocate to Los Angeles - behind 23-year-old Robin Roberts, another enduring baseball tradition was being born in the tiny visiting radio booth, which, like a mountain aerie, projected out perilously from the press box. Brooklyn catcher Roy Campanella, his boyhood Nicetown neighborhood just a short walk from the ballpark, was in the batter's box to start the third inning. That's when Barber, the lead Dodgers announcer, introduced his new partner, a skinny 22-year-old with a lofty red pompadour named Vin Scully.

Scully, who served briefly in the Navy toward the end of World War II, played center field at Fordham where, until he discovered campus radio station WFUV, he'd dreamed of becoming a serious writer. "My ambition had been to have a literary career," he once said. "I got cured by radio." Following graduation in 1949, he found a summer internship at Washington's 50,000-watt WTOP, where Barber, who also served as CBS Radio's sports director, first heard him. The following fall when CBS needed someone to provide live updates from a Maryland-Boston University football game, Barber remembered Scully. Though the youngster's broadcast position that windy Saturday was atop Fenway Park's roof, he never let the conditions affect his call, further impressing his soon-to-be boss. Long resisted by hidebound owners, radio - and to a lesser extent TV - was becoming a major force during the postwar baseball boom. All Dodgers games had been broadcast since 1947, and beginning in 1949 a few were televised by WOR-TV. When in November 1949 Ernie Harwell, one of Brooklyn's three announcers, departed for a job with the rival Giants, Barber contacted Scully, who accepted the job for $5,000 annually. A younger, much-less-experienced third wheel behind the popular and more-than-competent Barber and Desmond, Scully got little work that first spring training. Barber was a stern mentor. When he saw Scully drinking a beer in the press box that first season, he angrily rebuked him. Such fastidiousness had driven away the easygoing Harwell and initially bothered Scully. " 'Red's giving me a hard time,' " Scully recalled telling Harwell. "But Ernie advised me to hang in there. [He said,] 'Barber is tough, but he's a great teacher.' " Desmond, whose alcoholism would end his career prematurely, was a gentler but more erratic influence. "Red was like the father. He might chew me out once in a while," Scully said. "Connie was the older brother. He might counsel me and calm me down. I was the kid brother." On opening day 1950, Scully, who still lived with his parents in Bogota, N.J., traveled here by train from New York. Deboarding at North Philadelphia Station, he taxied to nearby Shibe Park. The hours moved slowly for the anxious rookie. He chatted with the players and, as would long be his custom, took notes. Just 22, he'd developed an easy rapport with the Dodgers, though Barber cautioned him that getting too close might endanger his objectivity. As game time neared, Scully moved to the claustrophobic radio booth where he nervously sat through the Phillies' opening day festivities.

"Here I was, the team's No. 3 announcer," he recalled in 2014, "and I was still living with my parents. I was very unsure of the future." Elliott Lawrence's Orchestra provided pregame music for the big crowd that included Mayor Bernard Samuel. A wheelchair-bound World War I vet named Si Rappaport threw out the ceremonial first ball. And after a Marine color guard brought in the flag, Philadelphia's Police and Firemen's Band played the national anthem. Then home plate umpire Babe Pinelli yelled, "Play ball!," Roberts threw a fastball to Brooklyn's Pee Wee Reese, and the season, if not yet Scully's career, was underway. The Phils took an instant lead when Richie Ashburn singled and Granny Hamner doubled on Don Newcombe's first two pitches. They were up, 5-0, in the top of the third when Barber handed the microphone to "a young fella I hope you're going to like." There's no way to know if Scully used his now-familiar greeting ("Hi, everybody, and a very pleasant good day to you, wherever you may be") or whether that musical voice employed any of the graceful metaphors or literary references he so enjoys. There certainly wasn't much drama to relate. His first call was a Campanella single up the middle. Scully's debut inning then ended routinely after Roberts struck out the next two Dodgers and George Shuba popped up to the infield. More relaxed, he returned for the seventh, when a little excitement bubbled. Jackie Robinson's double began the inning. But, despite two subsequent singles and a pair of Phillies errors, Brooklyn scored just once. When Phils catcher Andy Seminick grounded out to Reese to end the seventh, Scully's first day on the job was over. On Tuesday, the 2016 Phils will be wearing the same uniforms they unveiled in that now historic game. And Scully, though he won't be there, is still the Dodgers broadcaster. During those 61/2 decades, he's become the most respected baseball voice ever. Whether it's the World Series or any of the countless all-star, playoff or nationally televised games he's worked, Scully has managed to combine a pleasant conversational tone with rare erudition. Listening to him, said Tom Winship, an author who grew up a Dodgers fan in Brooklyn, is like listening "to a bar pal . . . with Einstein's wisdom." "His command of the language and the game is so masterful that he always has just the right words," wrote Gary Kauffman in a Salon.com profile. "He paints you a picture." On the final day of that 1950 season, the Phillies beat the Dodgers again, this time in Brooklyn, to clinch the pennant. Afterward, his rookie year ended in disappointment, Scully encountered Dodgers rightfielder Carl Furillo, who had failed to drive in what would have been the winning run.

"I said to Furillo what a young kid would," Scully told Sports Illustrated in 2000. " 'Tough luck.' And Furillo looked at me and responded, 'You either do or you don't.' It was the most professional approach and because it was my first year, it stuck with me." Two months from the end of Scully's historic 67-year career, his broadcast style unaffected by countless changes to the game he loves and enhances, it clings to him still. Murphy: For Utley, a nice place to visit By David Murphy LONG BEFORE the bittersweet collision of what once was and what might have been, an old man walked past a wooden door and paused. This was early afternoon on a Tuesday, the middle of the season's penultimate month, six weeks to go, sun still high over the upper bowl. The ensuing hours would bring with them a long parade of memories that would flicker in the thick evening air like the light from a distant storm: the crowd, the roar, the song, the pawing of the dirt; later, the snap of the wrists, the flash of the bat, the crack of the aforementioned collision, a streak of white rising like an apparition toward the wall in right-center. Once upon a time, all the days felt like this. Once upon a time, home was a slice of rubber surrounded by dirt. Once upon time, it was all that existed. Now, home is a door. No visitors allowed. On Tuesday afternoon, Chase Utley walked past it at his usual time, along the same route he followed for 13 years, from the parking lot to the ramp to the concrete corridor. And then, for the first time in his life, he kept on walking. "It's a little weird," he said later as he reflected on his trip to the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. "I don't think I spent more than 10 minutes on that side over the course of the years I was here." Buildings are fascinating things. Mystical, almost. Life has a funny way of fooling us into thinking that we are the constant, that everything around us is an extension of our personal existence, like water for a fish. Perhaps we cannot fully understand the version of ourself that exists in a place until we remove ourself from it. Perhaps it is only through a prism of impermanence that we can see the reality of a place. There is brick, there is mortar, there is grass. And there is us, finite projections upon an unchanging backdrop. For 10 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, Utley sat behind a microphone and talked about these things. He didn't always put them into words, but, then, some things don't change. His 13 seasons in Phillies red were a dichotomy of sorts. There was Utley the public figure: stern, unflinching, unresponsive to the near-pleading adulation that surrounded him each night. Guys like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Brian Dawkins, Allen Iverson, you felt like you knew them, albeit to varying degrees. Not only did they appear to enjoy what they did for a living, they also appeared to enjoy doing it in front of other human beings, particularly the ones who lived in this city. It was a complex enjoyment, no doubt, but the same can be said of any genuine interpersonal relationship. There are a lot of layers to love, the most rewarding of which cannot exist without the most trying.

Utley was different. Behind closed doors, he was known for his dry wit and clubhouse pranks. His leadership style was more action than talk, but he knew when to pick his spots. He took younger players under his wing in a manner that earned him respect. Yet he rarely if ever opened that side of himself up to the public, to an extent that you sometimes wondered whether he would be just at home playing in an empty stadium as a park packed with 40,000-plus each night. "I never really made it look easy out there," Utley said. "There are so many times I'd meet a father with his son or even a mother who would praise the way I played, and would tell me they want their son to play that way. To me, that's a true compliment." When Utley and the Dodgers arrived at the park for the start of a three-game series, you might have been less curious about the fans' reaction to him than his reaction to them. It ended in a hurry late last August, days before the final trade deadline, Utley out of the lineup, the rumor mill churning. It seemed an appropriate exit for an athlete who had always shunned the spotlight. Turns out, Utley didn't see it that way. "I didn't really have an opportunity to say goodbye," Utley said. "I think I said this to some of you guys in LA, if I were to write up a script it would have gone a bit differently." So there he was, walking past that familiar door, in through a new one, onto a circle of dirt he'd pawed thousands of times before. All around him was a roar he'd spent a career ignoring. They stood for 90 seconds, holding signs, waving No. 26 jerseys, thinking about those bygone days. As the umpire and catcher shrank back from the box, Utley stepped outside the chalk and lifted his helmet. In a slow pirouette, he pointed to each section of the stadium, and when the roar continued, he stepped outside the box and did it again. He homered in the fifth. He hammered a grand slam in the seventh. After it was over, he climbed back behind the microphone and smiled. "It was a little overwhelming," he said. "That first at-bat was probably the most nervous at-bat I've had at any level." Maybe there is a level of absence that a man can not notice until his return, when the things around him exist not as they are but as he remembered them to be. Only then he can understand permanence. Only then can he see the things that always will be. Only then can he understand what it meant when he was one of those guys who walked through that door. Donnellon: Cheers for Chase Utley recall the past, foreshadow the future By Sam Donnellon Chase Utley didn't just remind us of our past Tuesday night. His return provided a glimpse of our future. At least the one we hope for.

The ovations, for perhaps the most popular player to ever don a Phillies uniform, were not provided by a sellout crowd that some zealots had predicted leading up to the game. There were 28,118 fans out of a possible 43,651, we were told, but for just this night, the announced crowd seemed an underestimation and not an inflated one, the crescendo of each ovation exceeded only by the lung-sucking reaction that followed each of his home runs, and particularly the punctuating grand slam of an eight-run seventh inning. "That's as good as it gets,'' said Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp after stepping back to allow the fans their full prolonged ovation in the first inning. But as anyone watching who was there, in those stands, in 2007, or '08, or '09, '10 and '11, could have told him, oh no, it wasn't. Remember the fans watching the Mets implode on the Jumbotron before the final game of the 2007 season? Remember Jimmy Rollins' game-winning, series-turning walk-off double against Jonathan Braxton in 2009? Remember that sloppy Series-clincher held over three days' time, when Pat Burrell resumed the game by bouncing a pitch off the wall? Remember that final pitch of Roy Halladay's playoff no-hitter – in his first postseason game? Remember when Utley scored from second against the Braves on a ball that never left the infield grass? Remember the noise on any of those? Or literally hundreds more moments like it? "I should be thanking them," said Utley, when it was suggested that Tuesday night's ovations, in his first game back at Citizens Bank Park, was a long overdue thank-you note. "They motivated us, they kind of pushed us in the right direction, and I'm a true believer that the fans made us better players individually and gave us a chance to win on a daily basis." This was a significant quote from a man who, as we all know so well, does not wear his heart on his sleeve. "Zero heartbeat,'' is the way Dodgers rookie phenom Corey Seager described him Tuesday. After the grand slam, and the curtain call the fans demanded, video of him in the Dodgers dugout seemed to capture a man amid conflict, as if the performance had compromised that dynamic. It did not. It was simply a reflected sound from a time gone by, a radio wave bounced off a planet far away, or in this case, a town on the other side of the continent. Ryan Howard got it. Carlos Ruiz, atop the dugout steps, got it. Pete Mackanin, the bench coach on the night Utley hit two home runs here in that first game of the 2009 World Series against the Yankees, got it too, even if his response was the most Utley-like reaction of the night. "I understand it,'' said the manager. "I get it. But I prefer not to talk about it… He did a lot of damage." What you hope, is that the young faces on the field got it, too. That Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr, even Vince Velasquez no longer have to imagine what it might sound like if the rebuild currently underway even approaches the success that brought Utley from that other coast to this one. Chase Utley: ‘I’ll never forget’ ovations from Phillies fans

By Matt Breen Chase Utley - never one to show his emotions - wiped his cleats in the batter's box Tuesday night as Citizens Bank Park started to become unglued. Perhaps the adulation would cease as Utley played with the dirt near home plate. It instead grew louder because the majority of the 28,118 fans did not come to see a baseball game in the midst of the city's heat wave. They came to see Utley. Utley stepped from home plate to lead off the game, removed his blue Dodgers helmet, and waved the crowd. He pounded his fist to his heart as the left-field scoreboard said, "Welcome Back Chase." The Phillies players stopped their warm-ups to clap. Even pitcher Vince Velasquez touched the brim of his cap. The ovation lasted 74 seconds. It had been 363 days since Utley left Philadelphia and was traded to Los Angeles. At last, he was back. "It was completely overwhelming. The standing ovation for my first at-bat was something that I'll never forget," Utley said. "It was truly special. It really shows how passionate and how great the Philadelphia fan base is. It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats that I've ever had, at any level. I was glad to get that first at-bat over with." Utley finished 2 for 4 with a pair of home runs, including a grand slam. Each home run was capped with a curtain call, as the fans cheered until Utley peeked out of the visiting dugout and tipped his helmet. Before ending that first at-bat with a strikeout, Utley walked past catcher Cameron Rupp, who had moved away from home plate in order to delay the game and allow the fans to salute. Utley hollered, "Let's go," before stepping into the batter's box. "I'm like, 'All right.' Then it got louder," Rupp said. "That's as good as it gets. A guy who has done so much for this organization, he's done everything you can possibly imagine for this place. He deserved every bit of it. Absolutely. That was pretty special to be a part of, even though he's on the other team." It was the third standing ovation Utley received in roughly 15 minutes. The fans down the third-base line stood and cheered when he left his pregame routine to sign autographs. Fans handed him baseballs and cards, snapping selfies with Utley after he inked his name. A kid perched on his father's shoulders reached out a 2008 World Series hat. Another fan held a sign, thanking Utley "for being the man." A few minutes later, public address announcer Dan Baker read the visiting team's starting lineup and added a bit of fervor when he called Utley's name. The fans again stood and cheered. The biggest roar — perhaps the loudest heard this season at the ballpark — came a bit later when Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" played as Utley walked to the plate. "I should be thanking them," Utley said. "They motivated us, they kind of pushed us in the right direction, and I'm a true believer that the fans made us better players individually and gave us a chance to win on a daily basis."

The Dodgers flew into Philadelphia late Monday night, giving Utley limited time to revisit his old haunts. He and his wife will soon be putting their Center City apartment on the market and Utley joked that someone should seek him out if he is looking for a place downtown. It was weird, Utley said, to walk past the home clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon. He instead walked another three minutes to the visitors clubhouse, which he said he spent a combined 10 minutes in during the 12 years he worked at Citizens Bank Park. When Utley took the field for batting practice, the stadium's speakers blared Wiz Khalifa's song "See You Again," which begins with the line "It's been a long day without you my friend, and I'll tell you all about it when I see you again." It was the start of what Utley hoped would be an "exciting night." Utley went hitless in his first two at-bats before homering in the fifth inning. His emotions were tucked away as he sprinted around the bases, moving almost as fast as the ball he rocketed to center field. The fans once again stood and cheered. Their roar did not cease until Utley — a visiting player — came to the dugout's top step and tipped his helmet. After all, he was the reason they were there.