Phillies Rally Late — Again, Overtake Rockies
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The Phillies seem never to be happy unless they’re coming from behind to catch and overtake their opponents with late inning surges.
Once again, after getting down by 5-2 after five innings, the Phils jumped Rockies starter Mark Redman for back-to-back homers as Jayson Werth led off the sixth by lining an inside-the-park homer to deep centerfield followed by 2nd baseman Chase Utley’s 6th homer in 5 games, a shot to rightfield to narrow the game to 5-4. Then in the eighth and ninth innings, the Phils rung up the Colorado bullpen 2 and 3 runs, getting the lead and adding insurance to overtake the Rockies by a 9-5 score.
Catcher Yorvit Torrealba put the Rockies up 3-0 early with a third inning none-out 3 run homer to leftfield off of Kyle Kendrick. The third inning damage could have been much worse as the Rockies loaded the bases after Torrealba’s blast, but a sharp grounder up the middle took a freak bounce off of the mound and hung in the air as the heads-up Utley snared it and started an inning-ending double-play.
Leftfielder Pat Burrell narrowed the score to 3-2 in the fourth with a 2 out 2 run shot to leftfield. It was Burrell’s 7th homer of the season as he and Utley continue to carry flaming hot bats.
With 1 out in the fifth, 3rd baseman Garrett Atkins slameed a 2 run shot off of Kendrick to widen the Rockies’ lead to 5-2. They were the final runs that the Rockies would score as the Phillies’ bullpen shut the door on the Rockies, only allowing 4 runners on base in the final four innings, 3 of them on walks.
Reliever Clay Condrey replaced Kendrick to open the sixth inning. Things got a bit dicey after Condrey struck out Torrealba looking. Pinch hitter Scott Podsednik walked and stole 2nd and 3rd base. Condrey then walked centerfielder Willie Taveras. But then Condrey got slumping shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to ground into a 3rd-to 2nd-to 1st doubleplay to end the inning.
The Phillies began to mount their comeback in the sixth with Werth’s and Utley’s back-to-back homers off of Redman.
The AP report on the game for Yahoo sports details the Phillies comeback from there;
The All-Star second baseman became the first major leaguer to homer in five straight games since the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez from Sept. 4-9 last year…
The Phillies mounted the winning rally [in the eighth inning] off Taylor Buchholz (1-1) with two outs and no one on. Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell singled, and Pedro Feliz walked. Brian Fuentes came on in relief, and Carlos Ruiz doubled down the right-field line to drive in two runs.
“It’s a good piece of hitting and hitting them where they ain’t,” Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. “That’s what he did. It wasn’t a bad pitch.
“I had it for an inning and two thirds and I let down,” Buchholz said. “I couldn’t throw my curve ball for a strike.”
Philadelphia added three runs in the top of the ninth off Micah Bowie on doubles by Werth and T.J. Bohn. Rudy Seanez (2-1) got the win in relief.
Once again, the starters didn’t figure in the final win/lose decision. Buchholz was charged with the loss. The Phillies bullpen continued to shine as Tom Gordon and Brad Lidge put the lights out on the Rockies in the eighth and ninth innings, each recording two strikeouts in the process.
For all of the scores, boxscores and recaps on Monday’s games, click here.
On Tuesday, the top of the rotation, Brett Myers opposes Rockies ace Jeff Francis in the second and concluding game of this short series. The Phils travel on to Milwaukee for 3 games with the Brewers starting Wednesday.
For the previews, scores, boxscores and recaps on Tuesdays’ games, click here.
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