"Saturday marked the third straight game Chase Utley was in the Phillies' starting lineup, the fifth time in six games he has been on the field since being activated from the 15-day disabled list on May 23.

Not coincidentally, the Phillies have won all five games he has started.

Utley had two hits and scored two runs while stealing his first base of the season to help spark an eighth-inning rally Saturday night, and his manager hasn't seen any lingering effects of the knee injury that cost Utley all of spring training and nearly two months of the regular season.

"He's fine," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He doesn't look to me like he's favoring anything."

Not that it has been an easy transition.

Utley made an error in the field Friday, and he has struggled with off-speed pitches since being activated. That is all part of the adjustment process, but Ryan Howard said his teammate is looking better with each at-bat.

"You're looking at a guy who didn't play a game in spring training, who played a handful of rehab games and that's pretty much all he's got," Howard said. "Now he's into the fire. He's going to be fine.""