A fierce competitor epitomizes his team

Raul Ibanez talked about the Phillies as a steady rain Thursday kept the team from working outdoors at Citizens Bank Park in preparation for Saturday's National League Championship Series opener against San Francisco.

"It's a confident team, but not an arrogant team," the leftfielder said as the Phillies' pursuit of a third consecutive pennant drew another day closer. "It's a team that is going to grind it out no matter what. It's a team that is going to fight and scratch and claw no matter what."

Ibanez just as easily could have been talking about Chase Utley.

The second baseman has epitomized the gritty nature of this marvelous era of Phillies baseball.

"I played against Chase in '07, and I just saw the way he approached the game and the way he grinded out at-bats, and it was pretty impressive to watch from the opponent's side," Phillies reserve Mike Sweeney said. "But then I came over here a little more than two months ago and I've been able to witness him as a teammate, and he has been everything I saw from the opponent's side plus way more.

"He is a competitor in every sense of the word. He rushes back from injury and plays the game hard every single second he is on the field. From the time he gets to the clubhouse at 2 to the time he leaves close to midnight, he is locked in. It has been a joy to play with a guy like that."

In a series that is expected to be dominated by pitching, Utley's gritty style could be a determining factor against the Giants. The Phillies may need to score some runs like the one Utley manufactured in Game 2 of the division series against Cincinnati. He may or may not have been hit by a pitch from hard-throwing lefthander Aroldis Chapman, and he may or may not have been safe on a fielder's-choice grounder to third base.

"I think he's such an incredibly instinctive player, and that's what makes him great," a National League scout said. "A perfect example was how he reacted to that pitch from Chapman. It was a fastball and Chapman missed his spot by two feet, and before anybody knew what happened, Utley was running down to first base. He shouldn't have been on first, but he was there.

"Then he makes a great [baserunning] play at second, because in his mind, you never give up on an out. He doesn't know if Scott Rolen is going to throw to second base, so he goes in hard and gets the call. He does everything right and he always finds a way to beat you. He does it all the time."

Utley had just three hits during the three-game sweep of the Reds, but he always seemed to be in the middle of the action. The last of his three hits was a home run that gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead in Game 3. It was the 10th postseason home run of the second baseman's career, and with slugger Ryan Howard struggling for extra-base hits right now, the Phillies could use some help in the power department against the Giants, too.

This, of course, was not the easiest of seasons for Utley.

His .275 batting average was his lowest since 2004 and he missed a career-high 47 games because of a right thumb injury that required surgery. Even before the thumb injury, Utley's offensive production was down this season.

Trying to get the second baseman to talk about his personal struggles or achievements is never easy. Like the majority of his teammates, he was not available for comment Thursday.

The Phillies hope that the quiet Utley carries a big stick in this series. However, he has had little success against Giants ace Tim Lincecum.

Since going 2 for 5 with a double and home run against Lincecum during the pitcher's 2007 rookie season, Utley is 0 for 16 in the last three seasons against the two-time Cy Young Award winner. Lincecum has walked Utley once and hit him once.

You never know when a hit batter can turn into a game-changing run.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.