Two wins in a row isn't normally a thing to celebrate. But when you've only won enough games to count on one hand, it's momentous. The Phillies are in that exact situation now, and were looking to Tyler Cloyd to bring his recent Lehigh Valley stats to the majors. A victory against Jorge De La Rosa and the Colorado Rockies would mean not only a three-game winning streak, but the potential to sweep the Rockies out of Philly tomorrow night.
The hopes of another win seemed distant early on in this one. Dexter Fowler began the first with a leadoff walk. After a fielder's choice, Troy Tulowitzki picked up where he left off last night, homering to left to give the Rockies a 2-0 advantage. Michael Cuddyer quickly followed with a double, and was eventually brought in to score on a Tyler Cloyd wild pitch. Their scoring continued into the second, when Charlie Blackmon doubled. Fowler's single would bring him home as the fourth run of the game. A Wilin Rosario solo homerun extended the lead to 5.
The Phillies would only be able to score in one inning of this game. In the third, John Mayberry Jr. singled to lead it off. After Cloyd sacrificed him over, Jimmy Rollins worked the walk. With two on, Todd Helton mishandled the ball and allowed Mayberry to score. Chase Utley singled next to bring in Rollins, and a Dom Brown sac fly brought in the third run. The score now stood at 5-3.
Unfortunately, the score would remain the same. The Phillies had their opportunities, most notably in the eighth inning. Utley walked with one away, but was caught at second when Brown hit the ball back to the mound. Because of the throw, Utley would have been safe had he slid straight into the bag. Pitcher Brothers would then balk twice in four pitches, but they still could not score. Rockies take Game Two, 5-3.
Tyler Cloyd never looked sharp in this one. Even with their multiple opportunities to score, the Phillies couldn't overcome the rough start. They shouldn't see that type of performance from their starting pitcher tomorrow, when Cliff Lee takes on Juan Nicasio in the rubber match of the series.
