By Associated Press
Chase Utley hit two homers to give him long balls in four straight at-bats, Cole Hamels pitched six innings in his final start before opening day and the Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 9-2 Wednesday.
Utley has hit two homers in each of his last two starts. His three-run homer to right field off Julio Teheran gave the Phillies the lead in the first. In his next at-bat, Utley led off the third with a shot that put the Phillies ahead 4-1.
Hamels pitched six innings and allowed two runs — one earned — in his final spring tuneup. He startsMonday’s opener against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park. The only noticeable mistake Hamels made against Atlanta resulted in a solo home run by Joe Benson in the second inning.
Teheran struggled during his four-inning outing. The Phillies scored seven runs and had eight hits, including four homers.
Freddy Galvis and Rene Garcia hit back-to-back home runs off Teheran to start the fourth inning.
