Utley and Philles run away from slumping Cardinals

ST. LOUIS — Chase Utley quickly dispensed with the suspense Thursday night, singling in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 35 games in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 8-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Utley, held hitless until the eighth inning Wednesday before reaching on an infield single that was initially ruled a fielder’s choice, is tied with three other players for the 10th-longest streak in major league history.

Utley had three hits in helping the Phillies finish off a three-game sweep, sending the NL Central leaders to their seventh straight loss. The Cardinals lost a season-high eight in a row in June.

Cole Hamels, a 22-year-old rookie, matched his career best by striking out 12 in seven innings. He allowed only two singles and a run, and fanned a dozen for the second time in three games.

Another rookie, 33-year-old Chris Coste, had the first four-hit game of his career and drove in two runs. Aaron Rowand hit a home run for the Phillies, who had 16 hits a night after getting 18 in a 16-8 romp.

Scott Rolen drove in the Cardinals’ run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Jason Marquis (12-9) worked six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits while throwing 118 pitches. The Cardinals used eight pitchers the previous night.

Marquis retired the first two batters before Utley, batting .405 (62-for-153) during his streak and .330 overall, lined a 2-2 pitch to center field and then took second when So Taguchi bobbled the ball before throwing late.

Utley hit an RBI single off the first-base bag in the third to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead, making him 6-for-11 against Marquis. Utley has at least two hits in six of his last seven games.

Utley’s streak is the second-longest in franchise history, trailing only Jimmy Rollins’ 38-game run. Rollins hit in the final 36 games last season and the first two this year before he went 0-for-4 against Marquis and reliever Josh Hancock.

Luis Castillo of Florida (2002), Ty Cobb of Detroit (1917) and Fred Clarke of Louisville (1895) also had 35-game streaks.

Utley is tied with Castillo for the major league record for a second baseman. The Phillies play tonight in New York against the Mets.

The major league record is 56 games in a row by the Yankees’ Joe DiMaggio in 1941.

Hamels (4-5) began the game by walking David Eckstein, then struck out the next four batters. The Cardinals finally put a ball in play on his 30th pitch when Scott Spiezio flied out to center. Hamels fanned Rolen, Ronnie Belliard, Juan Encarnacion and Marquis twice each.

The Cardinals didn’t get a hit until the fourth when Belliard singled for his first hit in three games with his new team, advanced to third on a single by Albert Pujols and scored on Rolen’s fly to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Hamels has 44 strikeouts in 301/3 innings in his last five starts and also fanned 12 Braves on July 24, although he allowed seven runs in 51/3 innings and lost that game.

Utley, Howard and Coste each had an RBI single in the second to put the Phillies ahead 3-0. Three straight singles in the fifth, the last by Coste, made it 4-1, and Rowand doubled in the seventh, stole third and scored on catcher Gary Bennett’s wild throw.