Utley's Injury

     With all the talk of the Big Four in Philadelphia, many people forgot about the offensive struggles of the aging lineup the Phillies had last season.  Many people attributed the struggles to the injuries to pretty much every major contributor in the lineup.  Most Philadelphians thought that this bad luck could not continue this season.  However, the start of the year is looking like an eerie premonition of what is to come this season.  Chase Utley, one of the key cogs from the Phillies' former powerhouse lineups, is now out indefinitely with a knee injury that no one seems to have a real diagnosis for.  How will this hurt the Phillies, who have already lost right-handed slugger Jayson Werth to free agency and superprospect Domonic Brown to a broken bone in his right hand?  It will no doubt be a chink in the armor of the National League favorites.  Suddenly, that already struggling offense employs journeyman utility player Wilson Valdez and an unreliable bench player in Ben Francisco.  Can this offense really back their rotation with enough run support to make a serious run to another title?  It would seem possible only if Lee, Halladay, Oswalt, and Hamels can hold their opponents under four runs every game.  The Phillies still have many stars, who can still carry the squad.  This should not take the Phillies out of the top 4 teams in the National League, but they are no longer the lock that they seemed to be before Utley's injury.