"Chase Utley officially returned to the Phillies lineup on May 23.

Hit bat didn't join him right away.

It has now.

After hitting .195 (8-for-41) in his first 11 games, the Phils' All-Star second baseman is batting .357 (10-for-28) in his last six games.

This weekend went particularly well. Utley was 2-for-4 with a key, seventh-inning double and scored twice Sunday after going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBIs on Saturday.

"He's starting to get his stride down at the plate. His swing is better," Manuel said. "He can stride a little bit too quick and get on his front side, especially against slow stuff or secondary stuff. The last couple of days, I like to say [he has], 'Slow feet, quick hands.' I can see can more of his bat."

Manuel isn't surprised it's taken Utley some time to adjust to big league pitching. With a rehab assignment that didn't include stops on the Double-A or Triple-A levels, and without a true spring training, during which most players get 70 to 80 at-bats, the three-hole hitter has had some issues adjusting to offspeed pitches.

"I think the location of the pitches up here [in the majors] is much different," Manuel said. "It's taken him a while to get used to it. The game's faster.""