Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Ways They Still Win 100 Games Without Chase Utley

On the first day of spring training, all of Philadelphia was excited.  Finally, one of the most hyped pitching staffs ever reported to camp. 

Prognostications were made, and some said the Phillies could even challenge the 2001 Seattle Mariners' all-time mark for wins in a season.

Then the games started, and things started to unravel.  Phillies fans started getting worried.  Domonic Brown broke his hand.  Roy Oswalt got hit in the neck.  Brad Lidge started having problems with his shoulder.

And, of course, Chase Utley's knee started flaring up. 

Suddenly, it seemed like people forgot that the Phillies had the best pitching staff in the league.  They forgot that they still have Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco and Carlos Ruiz. 

Obviously the Utley injury is a big deal, but it's not the end of the world.

Philadelphia, RELAX! This team will be just fine.  WOOOOOSAH!!!

Starting Rotation Lives Up to the Hype

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NEW YORK - AUGUST 14: Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the New York Mets on August 14, 2010 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Phillies are going to have the better starting pitcher heading into most games this season. 

Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball, Cliff Lee is going up against the other team's No. 2 starter, Roy Oswalt is going up against the other team's No. 3 starter, Cole Hamels going up against the other team's No. 4 starter and Joe Blanton is going up against the other team's No. 5 starter.  The odds are certainly in Philadelphia's favor.

The pressure on the offense is substantially lower.  They're not going to need to score five to six runs anymore to win games.

San Francisco's offense doesn't exactly strike fear into anyone, yet they won a World Series because of a dominant starting staff.

Even without Utley, the Phillies lineup is better than the Giants order. 

Charlie Manuel Playing Small Ball

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 17: Placido Polanco #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies connects for a sacrifice fly to score Shane Victorino against the San Francisco Giants in Game Two of the NLCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park on October 17, 2

Over the past few years, the Phillies haven't necessarily always been the best at driving runners in from third with less than two outs.  The philosophy has always been to mash.  They predicated winning games on putting up big innings, crooked numbers and hitting long balls.

With Jayson Werth gone, and the status of Utley unclear, I believe Manuel will change his offensive approach a bit.   

Of course, Ryan Howard will still be swinging for the fences, but when you look at this lineup now, it's filled with contact guys.   

Shane Victorino has stated in camp that he wants to hit for a higher average. 

Werth had the power, but he was pitiful with runners on third with less than two outs. Ben Francisco is more of a contact hitter. 

Looking at the rest of the lineup, Luis Castillo, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez can all play small ball and make solid contact.

Luis Castillo

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NEW YORK - JUNE 10: Luis Castillo #1 of the New York Mets in action against the Philadelphia Phillies during their game on June 10, 2009 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Sometimes a change of scenery can rejuvenate a career, especially when you're going from a bad team to a World Series favorite.

Obviously, the Phillies aren't going to get the same player from his Florida days.  He's not as fast and he's lost range in the field.

But again, speaking of small ball, Castillo is tough to strike out.  He can slap it around, bunt and he'll take a walk.  He's always been a patient hitter.

He hit over .300 two seasons ago, but saw a huge dip in his batting average last season, just .235.  Was this because his skills are declining, or did he lose motivation being on a losing team?

Handling Adversity

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 06: Chase Utley #26 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs to the dugout in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on October 6, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Think about all the adversity and drama the Phillies dealt with last season.  And they still won 97 games!

They dealt with 20 separate trips to the disabled list.  That was good enough for fifth in baseball. 

Chase Utley played in just 115 games last year, so the Phillies have played without him before. 

Filling the No. 3 Hole

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CLEARWATER, FL - MARCH 06: Shortstop Jimmy Rollins #11 of the Philadelphia Phillies fouls off a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays during a Grapefruit League Spring Training Game at Bright House Field on March 6, 2011 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by J. Me

Utley is well adept at hitting in front of Howard, but who'll step up and be the guy to fill that role with him out?

I realize Manuel likes Rollins hitting first, but hitting him third in this situation makes sense.  Rollins can be his usual aggressive self because he'll see more pitches to hit with Howard right behind him.

If Rollins hits third, Victorino would be more than capable of leading off.