Utley took ground balls for the first time today, an extremely positive step in his quest to return to the field. Utley has been hitting for quite some time but he hasn’t taken the next step to actually field grounders, as it has been causing chronic pain for his knees. Utley will begin playing in minor league rehab games soon. Last year, he played in 11 minor league games before officially joining the Phillies’ big league club on May 23.

This season, Freddy Galvis has been playing second base regularly with Utley injured. Galvis is just 22 years old, and he’s extremely efficient defensively, but he is in no way the kind of offensive player Utley is. Utley is a .290/.377/.505 hitter lifetime with 188 home runs and 110 stolen bases, and he’s the kind of five-tool player (when healthy) that has helped the Phillies capture five consecutive NL East titles. Even though he missed much of last season with an injury, Utley rebounded to hit .438/.571/.688 in 21 postseason plate appearances. He batted .259/.344/.425 during the regular season with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases in 14 attempts in 454 plate appearances, appearing in 103 games.

Thompson is a career minor leaguer if there ever was one. He has spent 13 seasons at some level of the minor leagues, where he has accumulated nearly 6,000 plate appearances. Thompson is a career .280/.355/.371 hitter in the minors with 35 home runs, 463 RBIs, and an impressive 442 stolen bases. He has spent the last decade at the Triple-A level and has seen just one at-bat in the major leagues – In 2004, the Kansas City Royals called up Thompson, and he promptly grounded into a double play in his lone MLB plate appearance.

Thompson wasn’t going anywhere in the Phillies system, and he’s simply a left-handed hitting body to sit on the Rays bench until their injuries are fixed. The player the Phillies got in return is a 25-year old left-handed hitting outfielder. Hudson has some speed but he struggled mightily in his limited major league plate appearances last season with the Baltimore Orioles, hitting .143/.143/.143 in 29 plate appearances. He did steal two bases, and he has the defensive versatility to play left, center, or right field. Hudson was hitting .291/.378/.318 at the Triple-A level this season with seven steals in 133 plate appearances.

Diekman is a left-handed reliever who tore up Triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a 1-0 record and a 0.59 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched. He recorded five saves but his most impressive statistics were his peripherals – 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings, just 1.8 walks per nine innings, a WHIP of just over 1, and no home runs allowed among the 61 batters faced.

The Phillies have Antonio Bastardo as a top lefty out of the ‘pen, but the LOOGY (lefty one-out guy) after that is up in the air. Joe Savery has been rotating between the major leagues and Triple-A, and the Phillies have recently recalled left-hander Raul Valdes from the minor leagues. Diekman may have the edge on the rest of the pitchers though in securing the job, especially if he continues to keep his strikeouts up and his walks down.

Diekman was initially a 30th round selection of the Phillies in the 2007 amateur draft, and he didn’t make much of a splash until last year when he performed well for the Double-A Reading Phillies. Diekman is 12-16 with a 3.78 in his minor league career, and his 8.3 K/9 rate is am indicator that he is going to be a good pitcher.

The Phillies received a strong contribution from Michael Stutes last season, even though he wasn’t expected to make the team out of spring training (he didn’t initially and was called up when there was an injury). Diekman could have the same impact for the Phillies.

Worley’s DL stint is retroactive to May 12, and the Phillies have recalled left-handed relief pitcher Joe Savery from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Worley is 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA this season, and he has been playing just as well as he did in his impressive 2011 rookie campaign. Worley is averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings, his walk rate is at 3.1 just like last year, and he has thrown quality starts in five of his seven outings.

Fortunately for the Phillies, Worley won’t miss more than two or three starts but the bad news is that Kendrick has been a major disappointment in his spot starts. He is 0-3 with a 7.32 ERA in eight appearances, three of which have been starts, and he is allowing an awful 14.2 hits per nine innings with a 4.1 walk rate per nine innings. Kendrick strikes out among the fewest total sin the National League, and he really hasn’t turned in the kind of performance the team hoped from him when they inked him to a two-year, $7.5 million contract prior to the season.

Kendrick’s start tonight will be against the Cubs, his fourth such start of the 2012 season. His last appearance came on May 9 against the New York Mets, when he let up four hits, two walks, and five earned runs in a single inning of work.

What This Means: The Phillies are still stuck in last place in the NL East but the gap is tightening. The Phillies are 18-19, just one game below .500, and they have an excellent opportunity to move back into the NL East race as they get set to play one of the league’s worst teams again. The Atlanta Braves lead the division at 23-14, with the Washington Nationals half a game back at 22-14. The New York Mets and Miami Marlins are 20-16 and 19-17, respectively.

Grading the Offense: The Phillies scored four runs and five runs and collected 10 hits and 10 hits in the two games, putting together a fine offensive series, even if it was against the Astros. Hunter Pence led the team with a three-hit and two-home run series, propelling the team to a victory in the second game when he hit a walkoff shot in the bottom of the 10th inning. Placido Polanco and John Mayberry, Jr. each enjoyed fine days at the plate as well, which was key because the two of them have struggled so far this season. Grade: B

Grading the Pitching: The Phillies have gotten six straight quality starts from their starting pitchers, with Joe Blanton and Cliff Lee doing the job in this series. Blanton has been extremely underrated this season, and he showed it in his start, by going seven innings, allowing just one run, and striking out seven against a lone walk. Lee allowed a lone run of his own through eight innings, striking out 10 and allowing only one. Relief pitchers not named Chad Qualls combined for three perfect innings with eight strikeouts, while Qualls was lit up for two runs and four hits in an inning over two games. Grade: A-

What Happens Next: The Phillies play the Cubs in another two-game series before taking on the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series this weekend.

Hamels has been nothing but tremendous for the Phillies since he debuted in 2006. He is still just 28 years old, he has no significant injury history, and he has a World Series MVP award to go along with his championship ring. Hamels is a left-hander, he strikes out a high percentage of batters while keeping his walks down, and he’s one of the top 10 pitchers in the game.

A seven year deal is very reasonable for Hamels. The Phillies gave Cliff Lee a five-year, $120 million deal when he was 32 years old, and he will be making $25 million in his age-35, 36, and 37 seasons with a $27.5 million vesting option for the season in which he will turn 38 years old.

Whether or not you think Hamels is as good as Lee (it’s very close), Hamels is more consistent, he is significantly younger, and he has done more for the Phillies than Lee has. Lee became a lifelong Philly friend when he rejected the New York Yankees’ mammoth deal to him, but Hamels has done more than that – he has carried the team on his back during the ’08 NLCS and World Series, winning the Most Valuable Player awards in both series.

Hamels is currently in a one-year, $15 million deal. It’s reasonable to expect him to get well in the nine figures and maybe even upwards of $150 million. In fact, Hamels could get the richest contract ever for a major league pitcher, currently held by CC Sabathia (seven years, $161 million).

That comes out to $23 million per season, and with the going rate for inflation, that may be about what the Phillies will have to pay to keep Hamels. The Phillies have struggled historically to groom pitchers and it would be a real shame to see them finally get a real keeper and then lose him in free agency. GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. had to know when he signed Lee that Hamels would need just as much money over probably a longer deal.

A seven year deal really isn’t that unrealistic for Hamels. The Yankees will probably be waiting with their checkbooks open to offer him up to $200 million. The Phillies will probably lose Shane Victorino in free agency and this is a team that has to keep its top young pitcher in Hamels, and they need to pay him before the season ends.

This article takes a look at each one of the Phillies relief pitchers and says who should stay and who should go.

Jonathan Papelbon

You could make a very good argument that closer is the most overrated position in sports, but I’ll tell you this right now: Jonathan Papelbon is not overrated. He is a four-time All-Star and he has saved at least 30 games for seven consecutive seasons. Papelbon’s 2.33 lifetime ERA is just one-tenth of a run behind the career mark of Mariano Rivera, and while Papelbon doesn’t have enough innings to qualify, his 195 adjusted lifetime ERA is the second best mark ever (behind Rivera, as well).

Papelbon has been terrific for the Phillies thus far, registering a 2.40 ERA, 10 saves in 10 opportunities, a 10.8 K/9 rate, and just nine hits allowed in 15 innings pitched. Tonight, he pitched a scoreless ninth inning, recording all three outs on strikeouts. He is signed through 2015 with a vesting option for 2016, and whether you think he’s worth $50 million or not, Papelbon is a top-five relief pitcher in all of baseball.

Antonio Bastardo

Antonio Bastardo set the bar extremely high after an unbelievable 2011 campaign in which he posted a 2.64 ERA, saved eight games in eight chances, struck out 10.9 batters per nine innings, and nearly set a major league record by allowing just 4.3 hits per nine innings.

He has been just as good so far in 2012, as his 1.64 ERA leads all Phillies pitchers. He is walking batters more than ever (5.7 BB/9), but he is also recording a high percentage of strikeouts (9.8 K/9), he has recorded seven holds, and he hasn’t given up a home run yet. Bastardo isn’t just a left-handed specialist – he’s a dynamic relief pitcher who happens to pitch left-handed. He can get lefties and righties out, as evidenced by the .118/.250/.118 mark vs. lefties and .176/.333/.235 vs. righties.

Chad Qualls

The Phillies signed Chad Qualls to a one-year deal to serve as a key piece of the bullpen in 2012, and he has done reasonably well so far. Qualls is aging, and at 33 years old, he’s not going to give clubs too many years, but he’s a good one or two year option for a team.

Qualls has a 2.92 ERA and he’s a consummate professional who is well worth the $1.15 million the team is paying. Qualls doesn’t strike out a ton of batters and he is walking more than ever (4.4 BB/9), but he’s a solid pitcher.

Kyle Kendrick

The Phillies are paying Kyle Kendrick $7.5 million over two years to serve as the long reliever and spot starter, and he’s having an absolutely atrocious start to 2012. Kendrick is a ground ball pitcher who pitches to contact, and he’s never going to strike out a lot of batters, but he’s really struggling in ’12.

He is 0-3 with a 7.32 ERA, his hits per nine innings are at an astounding 14.2, and his WHIP is 2.034. He has seen a spike in his walk rate all the way up to 5.5 BB/9, and at this point, he’s on track to be the next Danys Baez in the sense that he only sees action when the Phillies are up or down by at least five runs.

Michael Stutes

Michael Stutes was a pleasant surprise to the Phillies bullpen in 2011, going 6-2 with a 3.63 ERA and a high strikeout rate. He pitched well enough that he worked his way into the regular bullpen, pitching in crucial situations in the seventh and eighth inning.

Stutes has gotten lit up in 2012, with a 6.35 ERA in 5.2 innings pitched. He’s already walked four batters and he is currently on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury. Stutes needs to settle his control down but with his high strikeout rate, he will continue to be an integral part of the relief corps in the future.

Jose Contreras

Jose Contreras was the only relief pitcher from the 2011 season to be signed into 2012, and it was puzzling that GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. would give a multi-year deal to a 40-year old pitcher with an injury history.

Contreras battled injuries most of the spring training and after posting a 9.00 ERA in 10 innings pitched, he found himself on the DL. To be realistic, I really don’t expect much of Contreras this season and I think he will retire after the year.

Joe Savery

Joe Savery is a terrific story, as he’s a pitcher turned hitter turned pitcher who worked his way into the regular bullpen this April. He’s mediocre on the pitching mound, as he’s posted a 4.50 ERA in eight innings pitched before being sent down to Triple-A.

Savery has solid control although he rarely strikes anyone out. He’s held lefties to a .570 career OPS which will definitely make him see time in the future as at least a left-handed specialist.

David Herndon

David Herndon is a lot like Kendrick except he didn’t have a great rookie season like Kendrick and Herndon can’t start games. In reality, Herndon offers absolutely nothing to make a team want to keep him on the roster; he’s simply eating up innings that need to be eaten up.

Herndon posted a solid 3.32 ERA last year although his 1-4 record, high walk rate (3.8/9), and low strikeout rate (6.2/9) show he really wasn’t anything too special. The Phillies were very reluctant to pitch him in tough situations and he issued an astounding number of intentional walks for the season.

This year, Herndon has a 4.70 ERA in 7.2 innings and he’s currently on the DL with right shoulder inflammation. He will probably spend the next several seasons flip flopping between Triple-A and the major leagues, a la Mike Zagurski.

Michael Schwimer

I really liked Michael Schwimer when he was brought up last year, but the reality is he’s just not ready for the major leagues. It’s looking more and more like Schwimer is your classic Quad-A pitcher: he can perform admirably in the minor leagues but when he gets called up, he gets exposed.

Schwimer has a 6.10 career ERA in 20.2 innings pitched – 5.02 last year and 8.53 this year. He’s walking over five batters per inning and giving up 1.65 base runners per inning. That won’t get him too many innings with the big league club.

Brian Sanches

Brian Sanches is a 33-year old journeyman pitcher who has only seen time in the major leagues this season because of injuries. He has a 11.25 ERA in four innings, having let up nine hits and two walks in limited action. Sanches will likely be out of baseball within the calendar year.

Raul Valdes

Raul Valdes was recently called up to the 25-man roster, although he hasn’t made an official appearance yet. He is a 33-year old pitcher who does throw left-handed, although what’s shocking is that lefties hit him hard (.322/.371/.565) and righties can’t touch him (.225/.340/.350).

Valdes strikes out a ton of hitters but he’s also inconsistent enough that he’s really just an arm in the need for a left-handed pitcher.

Jake Diekman

Jake Diekman has been on the official roster for several games now, although he hasn’t pitched yet. Diekman is a talented lefty who altered his windup in spring training this year and as a result, has seeb much more success at the Triple-A level.

Diekman was 1-0 with a 0.59 ERA in 15.1 innings for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and he recorded five saves while striking out 12.9 batters per nine innings and walking just 1.8. He was initially a 30th round pick in the 2007 amateur draft, so it’s a pleasant surprise that he has worked his way up to the major leagues, and I’m excited to see if he can offer the club something over the next several years.

Phillippe Aumont

The Phillies picked up Phillippe Aumont in the Lee trade, and he looked like he was going to be an integral part of the big league bullpen someday soon. Aumont has struggled mightily in Triple-A this year though, as he’s walked an unheard-of 12 batters in just nine innings pitched. He missed time last year with a shoulder injury and may be dealing with the same problem, as his walk rate is just uncharacteristic.

Aumont does strike out an outrageous amount of hitters, as he’s at 15.0 per nine innings this year, and if he can fix his control problems, he will see time in the major leagues.

Justin De Fratus

Justin De Fratus is probably a future closer or at least setup man for the Phillies. He made his major league debut last September, pitching four one-run innings allowing just one hit. De Fratus has pitched just one inning in 2012 as he is dealing with an elbow injury, but he will probably work his way into the relief corps by ’13 or even the end of this season.

J.C. Ramirez

J.C. Ramirez deserves mentioning, as he is on the 40-man roster. He’s posted a 3.04 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched for the Double-A Reading Phillies in 2012, and he’s a solid enough 23-year old right-handed relief pitcher that should make the bullpen for the big league club within several seasons.

Polanco is the 17th active major league player to collect 2,000 hits and the 269th player to do so in history. Polanco has been on a hot streak since starting the season in an awful slump, and he’s up to .281. Polanco is hitting .354 (23-for-65) since April 25, and he’s 1-for-3 tonight with three runs scored.

Polanco is a .301 career hitter who has made a living out of his tremendous ability to make contact with the ball. He’s been a steady performer at both second and third base for the St. Louis Cardinals, Phillies, Detroit Tigers, and then Phillies again. Polanco has topped the .300 mark five times, he’s hit at least .280 11 times, and he topped out at .341 with the Tigers in 2007, a year in which he made the All-Star team for the first time at the age of 31, won a Gold Glove, and finished 17th in the league MVP voting.

Polanco was again selected to the All-Star team last year, this time with the Phillies, for his ridiculous start to the season. He cooled off and finished at just .277/.335/.339, although he did win another Gold Glove while leading the league in fielding percentage at the hot corner. Polanco is in the final year of a three-year, $18.5 million contract he signed prior to 2010, and he’s making $6.25 million. There is a club option for the 2013 season at $5.5 million with a $1 million buyout, although at this point, it’s likely the Phillies will decline the option given Polanco’s declining offensive numbers.

Last year, the Phillies thought highly enough of Brown that they handed him the starting right fielder job in spring training after Jayson Werth had departed for the Washington Nationals in free agency. Brown broke his hand in March, then struggled mightily when he did return, eventually spending much of the season in the minor leagues.

Before 2012, GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. said Brown would spend all of this season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so as not to place any extra pressure on Brown. The Phillies have done all they can to make life easier for Brown – he has been moved from right field to left field because of his defensive liabilities, and they have resisted the urge to call him up even when John Mayberry, Jr. struggled in left field.

Brown is playing so poorly though that it is frightening – in over 100 Triple-A plate appearances this season, he has a .247/.290/.355 statline with no home runs. Brown has made five errors in left field, giving him a shockingly awful .878 fielding percentage. His .645 OPS is lower than that of Cole Hamels, and his fielding percentage suggests he should spend all his time permanently as a designated hitter.

Brown can’t hit lefties still at this point in his career, as he’s a .222/.280/.267 hitter against them in 50 major league plate appearances, compared to .239/.322/.408 against righties (which still isn’t very good).

Simply because he is having a season to forget doesn’t make Brown a bust. The sample size of major league plate appearances is still small enough that he can easily turn his career around. Mike Schmidt began his big league career with an anemic .196 batting average before turning into the greatest third baseman of all-time. Brown has the tools to succeed, namely the size and athleticism which made him a top-five prospect just 14 months ago.

But he better start living up to that potential or he will start hearing the B word loud and clear every time he goes out to take his position in left field.

Romero previously pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007 through 2011. The Phillies acquired him midway through ’07 after he was designated for assignment and then subsequently released from the Boston Red Sox. Romero was phenomenal down the stretch, appearing in 20 games in September without allowing a run, and posting unbelievable numbers: 1.24 ERA, 3.7 H/9, and 7.7 K/9 rate.

He was 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA for the 2008 World Series champion Phillies, appearing in a career-high 81 games. He was untouchable in the postseason, hurling 7.2 scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and seven strikeouts. Romero also picked up a pair of victories in the World Series.

Romero was suspended for the first 50 games of 2009 for taking a banned supplement, then he struggled enough early in 2011 that he was released from the team after posting a 3.86 ERA and 6.8 BB/9 rate. Romero latched on with the Washington Nationals on a minor league deal, then did the same for the New York Yankees and Colorado Rockies.

Romero made the major league squad for the Cardinals this year, but struggled mightily in limited action. He has always been able to find jobs because of his ability to get left-handed hitters out. Even last year when he performed poorly for the Phillies, he still could get lefties out – Romero held lefties to a .231/.318/.231 line while righties torched him to the tune of .322/.409/.508. This year, Romero was equally ineffective against both lefties and righties, as lefties posted a .353/.421/.529 statline and righties were at .381/.409/.762.

Romero has probably thrown his final pitch in the major leagues; like Arthur Rhodes last year, when a lefty specialist can no longer get lefties out, it’s time to hang it up. Hopefully Phillies fans will remember Romero for his remarkably clutch ’07 September run and his ’08 postseason rather than the wildness he displayed early in 2011.