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 "It really doesn't bother me unless I come out of myself or
overthrow," Burnett said. "A handful of pitches I feel it. It's not
pain, but you can just tell something is there. Who knows? It's
something I have to deal with."
Burnett dealt with it just fine in a 2-0 victory over the Arizona
Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field. He gave up five hits and did
not walk a batter for his first victory with the Phillies after
signing as a free agent early in spring training.
"He's a true pro," Phillies second baseman Chase Utley said. "A guy
dealing with what he is dealing with to come and pitch zeros? That's
pretty special."
Burnett (1-1) said the injury cropped several weeks ago and he has
noticed it in his last three starts. He has given up two runs in 21
2/3 innings since, a 0.83 ERA. He curtailed his weight lifting to a
degree in the interim.
"I'm trying to get back to a normal routine, and I think I handle it
better if I just go about my business and accept it," Burnett said.
"He said that (hernia) is keeping him in check," Phillies catcher
Wil Nieves said. "Instead of trying too hard, he is just throwing
nice and easy, and I think that is helping him.
"Hopefully, he'll have that hernia all year."
Utley had two hits and an RBI as the Phillies (13-12) won the
deciding game of the three-game series to finish their 10-game road
trip through the NL West at 6-4.
Right-hander Brandon McCarthy (0-5) gave up two runs and struck out
a career-high 12 in seven innings for the Diamondbacks (8-20), who
have won only one of their nine series this season. Arizona received
its fourth consecutive quality start, but the team still has an
NL-low seven.
"It's big for me," said McCarthy, whose ERA fell to 5.54. "Limiting
runs is goal one, but it's good to keep a row of good starts coming
from the starters. We're trying to do as much as we can to hold up
our end of the bargain and keep pitching well."
Arizona is 2-13 at home, including the two-game series against the
Los Angeles Dodgers in Sydney, Australia, in which the Diamondbacks
were the designated home team.
"We need to get synched up and play a total game, all aspects of the
game," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said.
Phillies center fielder Ben Revere singled to lead off the game and
stole second base before scoring when Utley's looping fly ball to
left center field dropped in for a single.
Utley doubled to open the sixth inning and scored two batters later
after right fielder Marlon Byrd hit a sharp grounder into the hole
at shortstop. Chris Owings fielded the ball but threw wildly past
third for an error, enabling Utley to race home. Utley is hitting
.360, second in the National League.
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"The shortstop made a great play, came up firing to third base,"
said Utley, whose route appeared to put him in line with the throw.
"It clipped me on the rear or the knee or whatever. Fortunately for
us it went in the dugout and got us a run. Obviously you don't want
to run into an easy out there."
Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his eighth
save.
Revere and Byrd also had two hits for Philadelphia.
Owings had two hits for the Diamondbacks, and he gave them their
best scoring chance with a one-out triple in the fifth, when it was
1-0. Burnett got McCarthy on a comebacker and left fielder Gerardo
Parra on a flyout to left field.
Parra doubled with two outs in the eighth before Burnett got third
baseman Martin Prado to ground out.
"(Burnett) threw the ball well on the outside part of the plate, the
ball was running back," Gibson said. "We just couldn't get on him."
McCarthy, who entered the game with a 6.23 ERA in his first five
starts, struck out two batters in the first, second, fourth and
fifth innings. He struck out the side in the seventh.
NOTES: Phillies RHP A.J. Burnett was part of the "zombie night"
festivities at Chase Field on Friday, when he had his face grayed at
a face painting station behind the center field fence. "I love that
show," Burnett said of AMC's "The Walking Dead," which helped put on
the event. ... Arizona SS Chris Owings leads National League rookies
with 25 hits after a two-hit game Sunday. ... Diamondbacks RHP
Brandon McCarthy's previous career high for strikeouts was 10, done
three times, the last time on May 12, 2012, for the Oakland A's
against the Detroit Tigers.
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