"We have a lot of talent to pick up the slack in case something bad happens," Cliff Lee said after breezing through four shutout innings Sunday afternoon. "You'd love to have Utley out there, no doubt about that. He's one of the best players in the game. But we've got depth. That's what you need to be a successful team."
And then there's the doomsday scenario. If things were to take a turn for the worse for Utley, the Phillies would suddenly be trying to replace two vital pieces of their potent lineup. They prepared for Jayson Werth's departure. That's tough enough. If Utley were to miss extended time, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. might feel the need to make a significant move.
If so, there's no currency more valuable than quality pitching. As nice as it is to have Joe Blanton lined up as the fifth starter, he remains a very valuable chip, allowing Amaro to deal from strength.
No one can be sure how this will play out. Not even Dr. Art Bartolozzi, the chief of sports medicine at Penn Medicine and the Eagles' former longtime team doctor.
Bartolozzi said it would take a "crystal ball" rather than an MRI to see what the immediate future holds for Utley. After announcing a diagnosis of patellar tendinitis last week, Amaro admitted it was possible that his all-star second baseman might have a more serious problem. Utley received a cortisone shot over the weekend.
That shot followed a couple of weeks of holding Utley back from running and fielding. Bartolozzi said it normally takes two weeks for such a shot to have its maximum impact on tendinitis. At that point, the Phillies' medical people should have a better feel for what they're looking at.
Bottom line, it is a tricky injury to deal with.
