March 29, 2015
Kathy Willens/AP
Phillies third base coach Pete Mackanin, left, greets Chase Utley as he rounds the bases after his second home run against the Tigers
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Chase Utley hit his first two home runs of spring training and drove in three runs for the Philadelphia Phillies in a 4-4 tie against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday.
The 36-year-old missed the first 10 games of the exhibition season after spraining his right ankle in January. He hit a two-run homer in the first off Anibal Sanchez.
Then in the fourth inning, he connected again, this time on the first pitch from Sanchez.
Utley is hitting .441 (15 for 34) during the regular season against Sanchez with no home runs.
Sanchez struck out 10 and walked one in six innings, allowing all four runs and five hits. Philadelphia's Aaron Harang gave up four runs — three earned — and five hits in 5 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and two walks.
Apparently manager Ryne Sandberg was indeed joking Thursday when he told reporters that the identity of the Phillies Opening Day starter was "a secret."
On Sunday, Sandberg announced what most already knew: Cole Hamels will start for the Phillies on a week from Monday (April 6) when they open the season against the Red Sox.
More from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com:
"It'll be Hamels and [Aaron] Harang to start the season, officially, in that order to start the year," Sandberg said after a 4-4 tie with the Tigers.
Hamels will face the Red Sox on April 6 at Citizens Bank Park. It will be the second Opening Day start of his career.
Sandberg said the Phillies have not lined up anything beyond that, but David Buchanan and Jerome Williams will be the Nos. 3 and 4 starters.
The No. 5 starter is expected to be Sean O'Sullivan or Kevin Slowey with O'Sullivan, who is in Minor League camp, considered the favorite. The Phillies do not need a No. 5 starter until April 12, and the organization is hopeful Chad Billingsley will be able to join the rotation before the end of April. [via phillies.mlb.com]
So there you have it. Hamels will start against the Red Sox, the team that has been at the forefront of most trade rumors involving the Phillies ace.
PhillyVoice's Matt Mullin contributed to this report
