2 Stand Tall

The Phillies are sitting a game and a half out of first, Jimmy Rollins can't hit for the life of him, and the pitching is as big a mystery as to who shot JFK but there are 2 things the Phillies can count on. Or should I say people. Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez have been freakishly amazing thus far.

We'll start with the new guy. After we saw Pat Burrell fly down to Tampa Bay, the Phillies signed Ibanez. Now I was one of them many people who were not only skeptical of the signing but against the letting go of Burrell. Here is a little comparison of the two:

Burrell: .250 average, 1 home run, 17 RBI's, and only 5 extra base hits.

Ibanez: .327 average, 9 home runs, 23 RBI's, and has struck out 7 less times. He is also 1st on the team in hits with Utley.

It's amazing what Ibanez has brought to the table this year. He hit his first homer during the World Series ring ceremony, erasing any memory of Pat Burrell's shots from the other side of the plate and then he hit a game winning grand slam. He's a smart hitter and he doesn't seem to be affected by batting either 5th or 6th in the order.

Now to the second lone ranger. Utley erased any doubts about his injured right hip with his tremendous start. He is batting .309 with 10 homers and 23 RBI's. He is also 4th in hits, 1st in homers, and tied for 1st (with Ibanez) in RBI's on the team. But Utley is more than just an offensive force. He is the leader of the team both vocally and in his play.

As the late Harry the K once said, "Chase Utley, you are the man!"

Hey J-Roll. When can I write a post like this about you? It's May 11th and .171 is nowhere near .400 for the month of May.