Chase Utley: Six Fun Facts from the Return of the Phillies Second Baseman

Chase Utley made his triumphant return—and season debut—on Monday with the Philadelphia Phillies, and the gratification was instant.  The Phillies's offense came alive, hitting early and often.

After scoring two runs off of Bronson Arroyo in the first inning, the Phils chased Arroyo with a seven-run third and reminded the sellout crowd of Philadelphia faithful of an earlier time, when scoring runs was easier and a solid outing by a starting pitcher was enough to win a game.

Along the way, the suddenly explosive Phillies' offense did some things which, when compared to recent performances, are actually quite fun.

Here's a look at six fun facts from tonight's game.

6. Scoring 10 Runs

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CLEARWATER, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Domonic Brown #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies poses for a photo during Spring Training Media Photo Day at Bright House Networks Field on February 22, 2011 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The Phillies scored 10 runs for the first time since April 29th against the Mets and for only the fifth time this season.

5. Seven Runs in the Third Inning

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 23: Carlos Ruiz #51 of the Philadelphia Phillies gets tagged out at home by Ryan Hanigan #29 of the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on May 23, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

The seven runs that the Phillies scored in the third inning were the most runs scored in an inning by the Phillies all season.

4. Seven Runs in the Third Inning: There's More

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PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 27: John Mayberry #15 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on April 27, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phillies defeated the Diamondbacks 8-4. (Photo b

The seven runs that the Phillies scored in the third inning were more runs than the team scored in the last four games combined.

3. 10 Runs in the Game

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ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 17: Placido Polanco #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws to first base against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 17, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The 10 runs that the Phillies scored on Monday were more runs than the team scored in the previous seven games combined!

2. 6 Hits in the Third Inning

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ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 17: Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts to striking out against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 17, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The six hits that the Phillies collected in their seven-run third inning were more hits than the Phillies had in their entire previous game.  In fact, six hits was more hits than the Phillies had collected in five of their previous seven entire games.

1. No Hits for Chase Utley

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 23: Chase Utley #26 of the Philadelphia Phillies grounds out in his first game back this season during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on May 23, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowel

Ironically, the raison du jour for the Phillies' outburst, the erstwhile injured second baseman, did not take part in the glorious scorefest.  Chase Utley went 0-for-5 on the night, repeatedly returning to the bench (including twice in the third inning) as his teammates scored wildly all around him.

And so we are left to wonder: can it be this simple?  Can the presence of a great hitter turbo-charge a lineup even though the great hitter himself does nothing of substance in his times to the plate?

I believe we have our answer.