Final: Rockies 6, Phillies 5
WP: Scott Oberg (2-1, 6,00 ERA) LP: Justin De Fratus (0-1, 3.15 ERA) SV: John Axford (5)
Denver, CO – The Phillies (17-24) and Rockies (14-22) battled back-and-forth through most of the game, but a late solo home run from Nick Hundley ended the Phillies winning streak at six. After falling behind by scores of 3-0 and 5-3, the Phillies tied things up twice, but couldn't muster any offense in the ninth, dropping game two of the four game set in Colorado. Maikel Franco had another error in the field today, but he tallied three hits at the plate to pace the Phillies offense.
The Rockies started the scoring in the first. Troy Tulowitzki reached base on Maikel Franco's second error in as many days. Aaron Harang walked Carlos Gonzalez in the following at-bat. Two hitters later, first baseman Wilin Rosario hit a two-run triple to right field, giving Colorado a two run lead. Nick Hundley singled in Rosario from third to make it a 3-0 game after an inning of play.
The Phillies got two back in the top half of the second inning. Maikel Franco led things off with a double and Chase Utley followed with a double of his own to score Franco from second, cutting the lead to two. After a sacrifice bunt from Odubel Herrera, Carlos Ruiz doubled to drive in Utley and make it a 3-2 game.
The Phils drew even with the Rockies in the third. Grady Sizemore smacked a double to center and two batters later, Maikel Franco hit an RBI-single to tie the game at three a piece.
Fast forward to the seventh. Jake Diekman relieved Aaron Harang after six innings of three-run ball. The Phillies left-hander struck out the first two batters but surrendered a single to DJ LeMahieu before walking Charlie Blackmon. Troy Tulowitzki would make Diekman pay for the walk in the next at-bat as the Rockies shortstop doubled on a fly ball to right field, just out of the reach of Grady Sizemore. His double scored two runs to give the Rockies a two-run advantage, 5-3, heading into the eighth.
The Phillies wouldn't let that dampen their spirits though. Freddy Galvis and Jeff Francoeur hit back-to-back singles to start the top half of the eighth. After Ryan Howard went down on strikes for the third time, Maikel Franco laced a two-run single to center, scoring Galvis and Francoeur, tying the game at 5-5. The Phillies loaded the bases with one down, but Carlos Ruiz grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.
The Rockies retook the lead in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a two-out solo home run off the bat off Nick Hundley to make it a 6-5 game in favor of the Rockies. John Axford came in and retired the Phillies in order in the ninth to end their six-game winning streak.
Starting Pitcher Report:
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Harang | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1.82 |
| Chad Bettis | 6 |
8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5.73 |
- Harang: 99 pitches, 59 strikes; 6 groundouts, 5 flyouts; 24 batters faced
- Bettis: 89 pitches, 64 strikes; 7 groundouts, 5 flyouts; 25 batters faced
Out of the 'Pen
Rockies
- Rafael Betancourt (7th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 3.60 ERA
- Boone Logan (8th): 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 0 HR, 5.79 ERA
- Scott Oberg (8th): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 6.00 ERA
- John Axford (9th): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR, 1.13 ERA
Phillies
- Jake Diekman (7th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0 HR, 7.53 ERA
- Justin De Fratus (8th): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR, 3.43 ERA
At the Plate:
Rockies
- Nick Hundley (.307): 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI's, K
- Troy Tulowitzki (.285): 1-for-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI's, BB
- Wilin Rosario (.294): 1-for-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI's, K
Phillies
- Maikel Franco (.350): 3-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBI's
- Chase Utley (.148): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
- Carlos Ruiz (.257): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
What's Next
Wednesday, May 20, 2015: at Colorado Rockies, 8:40 pm
- RHP Severino Gonzalez (1-1, 10.57 ERA) vs. RHP Eddie Butler (2-4, 4.24 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
Chad Billingsley was originally scheduled to start for the Phillies on Wednesday, May 20, however he was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday evening with a right shoulder strain.
Thursday, May 21, 2015: at Colorado Rockies, 3:10 pm
- RHP Jerome Williams (3-3, 5.02 ERA) vs. Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 6.56 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
