Phillies baseman Utley out with possible concussion

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Chase Utley was struck by a pitch in the head on Wednesday and a possible concussion means he will miss at least a couple of games for the Major League-best Philadelphia Phillies.

The 32-year-old second baseman was hit in the back of his batting helmet by Atlanta reliever Eric O'Flaherty in the sixth inning of the Phillies' 2-1 win, and he eventually exited in the eighth after developing a headache.

The Phillies will wait a couple of days before evaluating Utley with a concussion test, and he will not fly with the team to Milwaukee where Philadelphia (91-48) begins a four-game series with the Brewers on Thursday.

"We think it's very, very mild, but we're going to be cautious with him, obviously," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters.

"You don't want to mess with the head."

A five-time All Star during his nine-year career spent entirely in Philadelphia, Utley has been limited this season because of injury and is hitting .262 with 10 home runs.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Alastair Himmer)