Utley works to keep confidence up as Phils fall again

Chase Utley snapped the clasp of his silver watch after dressing at his locker. Another day was complete. Another loss - this time a 7-4 defeat to the New York Mets - was finished.

Utley went 1 for 3 with a run scored. His lone hit was his first double of the season. It gave him a hit on consecutive days for the first time this season. Utley's batting average rose to .116, an increase of 17 points from where it stood before Saturday's loss. It is still the major-league's lowest mark. This season, Utley said, has been a grind.

"I've seen better days," Utley said. "But you can't change the past. But you try to move forward, make some adjustments and see what happens."

Utley said a professional athlete's confidence is built on results. It is tough, he said, to have that confidence without the results.

"But I'm doing my best to keep it strong," he said after the Phillies dropped to 11-21.

Utley said he is not one to make excuses. He said he believes he has not swung the bat as well as he could, but has swung better than his results show. Three of his last four at-bats have featured hard-hit balls. Sunday's double bounced off the right-field wall. He later flied out to left field. On Saturday, Utley singled deep to right center. Hitting balls to where no one is would be beneficial, he said.

"Chase is gaining on it. It's small steps," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Some balls are falling in, so that's a good sign for him. Maybe he can get a nice little hitting streak put together."

Utley's run in the fourth inning tied the game at two. His baserunning instincts were strong. Utley thought about trying to head to third on his hit, but wisely settled for a double. He broke for home on Grady Sizemore's two-out single to right. Utley slid into home, but the play was not close, thanks to his quick start from second.

Chad Billingsley, who started for the second time this season, faltered the next inning. He served up a two-run home run to Curtis Granderson. Billingsley wanted to throw the full-count fastball down in the zone. Instead, it rose to the middle and tailed inside.

The homer came a pitch after a possible third strike was called a ball. Sandberg said it was borderline. Asked afterward, Billingsley said it was not his place to say whether it was a strike or ball.

The righthander allowed five runs on eight hits in five-plus innings. He struck out six batters and walked one. It was marked improvement from his first start of the season. He even hit a home run in the third inning. It was Billingsley's third of his career and the first by a Phillies pitcher since Cole Hamels in 2012.

"My nerves were a little bit better today," Billingsley said. "Just one mistake to Curtis, I wish I could have that one back, but I felt a lot more comfortable out there."

Utley stood on deck in the ninth inning, representing the tying run in a three-run game. Freddy Galvis flied out to left field, as Kirk Nieuwenhuis ended the game with a sliding catch. Utley waited to make sure the ruling was upheld. He slammed his bat on the on-deck circle, causing the doughnut weight to fall off. It was time to get changed. The Phillies had lost again.