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Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and the Phillies host the Brewers in the home opener at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday.

(David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

The Phillies host the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in the home opener at Citizens Bank Park on NBC-10 (WCAU-TV) and WIP Radio (94.1 FM) after completing their first road trip of the season with a .500 3-3 record. Follow @MattLombardo975 on Twitter for in-game updates.



1. The pitching matchup:Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 1.39 ERA) makes his second start of the season following a seven-inning, four strikeout performance against the Rangers last week in which he allowed one run on five hits before the bullpen blew the game. Milwaukee counters with former Phillie Kyle Lohse (0-1, 3.86 ERA). As a team, the Phillies are batting .244 against right-handed-pitching through the first week of the season.

2. Brewers pitching has been dominant so far: The Brewers swept the defending World Series champion Red Sox over the weekend largely thanks to a stingy pitching staff. Brewers starters bring a collective 1.65 ERA into this series and have yet to give up more than three earned runs in a single game.

3. Phils' bench playing major role: Ryne Sandberg hasn't backed down from his spring promise that the bench would play a key role for the Phillies this season in an effort to keep the veterans fresh. Every position player has started a game through the first week and the Phillies have yet to post identical lineups in consecutive games. With an aging roster, Sandberg's juggling act may be just what this group needs to stay healthy and consistent for the entire season.

4. Utley chasing history: With one RBI the second baseman moves into 10th on the Phillies all-time list, Utley currently has 813 RBIs, one behind Bobby Abreu's 814. On Saturday Utley hit the 300th double of his career, moving into eighth place in franchise history.

5. OBP on the rise: One of the key areas the Phillies looked to improve on from 2013's inconsistent effort was the team's on-base percentage and they're off to a fast start after the first week of the season. Through six games the Phillies OBP is .349, up from .306 last season. Getting on base and playing small-ball to produce runs seems to be an early tenet of Sandberg's philosophy.