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Utley attempts to begin another homer streak

Jun 4, 2008 - 1:08 PM Cincinnati (28-31) at Philadelphia (35-25) 7:05 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- While Ken Griffey Jr. hasn't made any progress in his chase for home run No. 600, Chase Utley has done his best to steal the spotlight.

Utley aims to continue his torrid hitting on Wednesday when the Philadelphia Phillies continue their four-game set with the Cincinnati Reds.

Griffey, who wasn't in the Reds' starting lineup for the second straight game because of general soreness, hit his 599th homer at home Saturday against Atlanta. He served as a pinch hitter and drew a walk in Tuesday's 3-2 setback.

The only players to reach 600 are Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa. The way Utley has been going, he may someday join the club.

He homered in his fifth straight game on Monday during a 5-4 win and drove in a run in Tuesday's triumph. His 21 homers lead the majors while his 53 RBI are two behind National League leader Adrian Gonzalez of San Diego.

Utley will need to be at his best against starter Edinson Volquez (7-2, 1.46 ERA), who owns the lowest ERA in baseball. The righthander, who has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his 11 starts, did not receive a decision despite yielding two runs over six innings in Cincinnati's 11-inning, 3-2 win over Atlanta on Friday.

The Phillies will counter with Brett Myers (3-6, 5.52), who was dominant in his last start after struggling mightily in his return to the rotation. The righthander, who served as Philadelphia's closer last year, permitted three runs and six hits over eight innings, striking out a season-high 11 in Friday's 12-3 victory over Florida.