Ben Revere hit his first career home run and Darin Ruf went deep for the first time this season, but the Phillies couldn't capitalize on early run-scoring opportunities. The Rockies got to Cole Hamels late in this one and the Phils offense couldn't climb back, dropping tonight's contest by a score of 6-2.
The Game: The Phillies got back-to-back singles from Carlos Ruiz and Cesar Hernandez to start the bottom of the third. Cole Hamels laid a pretty bunt down to no man's land at third and reached first to load the bases with none out. Unfortunately, the Phillies got nothing out of it as Ben Revere bounced into a force out on the second pitch of his at-bat, Jimmy Rollins popped out to first on a 2-0 count and Utley flied out to left. It's a shame when your 7-8-9 hitters set the table for the top of the lineup and they can't get it done.
The Rockies would make the Phils pay for their offensive bluff in top of the fourth. Drew Stubbs singled to start and stole second. DJ LeMahieu singled on a ground ball through the hole at short, putting runners on the corners with none out. Troy Tulowitzki knocked in Stubbs with a sacrifice fly to right, giving Colorado a 1-0 lead. Hamels got Carlos Gonzalez to ground out and Michael Cuddyer to fly out, ending any ideas of a further threat.
Luckily, the Phillies would get it back in the bottom of the frame courtesy of a Darin Ruf solo homer to left field, tying things at one a piece.
The teams would be tied at 1-1 until the top of the seventh. After getting Troy Tulowitzki to ground out, Cole Hamels surrendered back-to-back walks to Michael Cuddyer and Chris Dickerson. Justin Morneau flew out, setting up Wilin Rosario with runners on the corners with two down. Rosario jumped on the first pitch from Hamels and hit it into the first row of seats over the right field wall for a three-run home run. Just like that, it's 4-1 Rockies.
The Phillies would get one back in the bottom of the seventh on something we have never seen before. A Ben Revere home run. After 1,466 at-bats without a homer, Revere went deep to right to cut the lead to 4-2. Revere's homerless streak was the longest in Major League Baseball since Frank Taveras in 1977, when he hit his first career homer after 1,594 without one.
[Watch Ben Revere's first career home run here]
Jeff Manship came in relief of Cole Hamels in the eighth. He gave up a lead-off triple to Josh Rutledge on a ball off of the wall in left that was misjudged by Mayberry. Rutledge scored in the next at-bat on an RBI double off the bat of Drew Stubbs, giving the Rockes a 5-2 lead. Brandon Barnes hit a forceout to Rollins at short, scoring Drew Stubbs. 6-2 Rockies. That is what the final score would be in this one.
Notable Offensive Statistics:
Ben Revere: 1-5, HR, RBI
Darin Ruf: 1-4, HR, RBI
Carlos Ruiz: 2-2, BB, HBP
Impact: Cole Hamels, who's ERA sits at 4.43 after tonight, looked really good up until the hiccup in the seventh. You really cannot put him at fault, especially after the Phillies left the bases loaded early in the game with none out. Even though the offense didn't do anything after Hamels' exited, it would have been nice to see Jeff Manship get a shutdown inning with the Phils down 4-2. His ERA raised to 7.53 and you have to wonder how much longer he will be with the team. Obviously, it was good to see Darin Ruf in the lineup and he got his first hit of the season in dramatic style with a then game-tying home run to left. Hopefully we see more of him as a regular moving forward. Ryan Howard was brought in to pinch-hit in the eighth with runners on first and second and only one out. He grounded into a double-play to end the inning. The Phillies were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That one hit was the Cole Hamels bunt that he reached base on in the third. Check out Jimmy Rollins stellar defensive play here.
Up Next: The Phillies and Rockies conclude their series tomorrow at 7:05PM. Roberto Hernandez (2-2, 3.83) will toe the rubber for the Phils and he will opposed by Jordan Lyles (5-1, 3.45) of the Rockies. Hernandez gave up two runs in 6.1 innings of work against the Dodgers his last time out while Lyles gave up two runs on six hits in his last outing against the Braves.
Brandon Apter is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
