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Baseball: Orr, Phillies' Bench Getting It Done In Early Going

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Phillies have hit the ground running in the early going, winning five of six on their season-opening home stand (see related story) as they now head to Atlanta.

The four-time defending National League East champions have gotten good starting pitching, as expected, and tons of clutch hits in the season's first week.  They have also gotten great play from reserves like Pete Orr.

Orr, 32, signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent back in November and made the team with a very good spring training.

"I wanted to be a part of this team.  Obviously this team is remarkable -- you know, it's unbelievable," he told KYW Newsradio. "So I just hoped that I could be a part of it, and I had to go out and prove and earn a spot to be a part of it."

Orr can play all over in the field.  As for a preference?

"It doesn't matter.  Over the last five years, I guess I've played more second than anything, but it doesn't matter.  I enjoy playing them all and it doesn't matter to me."

Hear Matt Leon's full interview with Pete Orr in this CBS Philly SportsPod...

Podcast

This is Orr's sixth major league season, and he's spent his career as a utilityman.  He talks about learning to come off the bench at the big-league level:

"It was difficult when I first learned how to do it," he said.  "But I feel I'm a little older (now), and mature, and I kind of know what to expect.  Once you kind of figure out a routine and you come to the park with a good attitude every day and the same attitude every day, you can't set long-term goals because you don't know what they are going to be.  You just try to do what you can that day to help the team win."

Orr is a career .263 hitter who has 44 career pinch-hits.  He is 1-2 as a pinch-hitter this season, and the Phillies as a team are hitting .583 in the pinch (7-12).  This comes after the Phils pinch-hitters hit just .188 in 2010.

Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060.

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