Phillies Get “Rocked” in Colorado, Drop First Series Since April 3
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The Phillies have been as hot as one could imagine over the past few weeks. Their pitching staff has been unstoppable, and the lineup has been firing on all cylinders from Kyle Schwarber at the top to Johan Rojas at the bottom. They came into the series with a six-game lead over the Braves in the National League East standings, and they hadn’t lost a series since the very beginning of April, when they dropped two of three in Cincinnati.
Maybe it was the altitude? It must have been, because the Phils’ luck ran out atop the Rocky Mountains, as the last-place Colorado Rockies overtook the Phillies on Memorial Day Weekend. The Phillies’ pitching staff wasn’t sharp. The bats were spotty. Lackadaisical defense turned into costly mistakes, and costly mistakes led to a series loss.
Game Summaries
Viewers of Friday’s series opener were likely confused when Jacob Stallings stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning. At the time, the Phillies had a 2-1 lead thanks to home runs from Nick Castellanos and Edmundo Sosa in the top of the fifth inning.
Phils’ starter Cris Sanchez notched a quality start, lasting 5.1 innings and allowing just one run over seven hits, striking out two and walking one. The bullpen kept the Rockies’ in check, with Orion Kerkering and Jeff Hoffman maintaining the Phillies’ lead.
It wasn’t until the ninth when disaster struck. The aforementioned Jacob Stallings, a career backup catcher, launched Jose Alvarado’s first-pitch sinker into the left-field bleachers, tying the ballgame. Still tied at three in the eleventh, Ezequiel Tovar poked a single past third baseman Whit Merrifield, securing the home team a game-one victory.
The ninth inning proved crucial once again in game two. Aaron Nola battled through six innings, and Dakota Hudson matched Nola’s effort. The Rockies had a three-run lead entering the ninth, but an offensive outburst from the Phillies’ offense turned the tide. Edmundo Sosa tripled to score Brandon Marsh, the tying run, and Garrett Stubbs’ RBI single put the Phils in front. Bryce Harper followed with a three-run blast, and Nick Castellanos furthered the damage with an RBI single, giving the Phillies a five-run margin.
Aaron Nola struggled to command his fastball and curveball early on, but he managed to allow just two earned runs through six frames. Jose Ruiz, who threw a scoreless eighth inning, recorded the win, tying the series at a game apiece heading into Sunday’s series finale.
The Memorial Day Sunday narrative was, unfortunately, not as expected. Ranger Suarez has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball all season, but, ironically, his worst outing of the season came against one of the worst teams in MLB. Despite only allowing three hits and striking out nine, he could not find the strike zone in the first two innings, walking a season-high four batters and allowing five runs, one on part to a throwing error committed by Alec Bohm.
The Phillies only mustered five hits up against Cal Quantrill and the Rockies’ bullpen. Alec Bohm and Johan Rojas each singled in a run, but it was not enough to overcome the early damage done by Colorado.
As the game progressed, Suarez found a groove and was able to give the Phillies six innings, but his efforts were a few innings too late, and the Phillies’ offense failed to fight back.
Phils’ Bullpen Continues to Thrive
As the world was facing a pandemic in 2020, the Phillies had an epidemic of their own, and it started in deep right field of Citizens Bank Park—in the Phillies’ bullpen. Every Phils fan knows the pain that the bullpen caused for what seemed like a millennium.
This year, however, the Phillies’ bullpen has become a massive strength, and it is quite a nice change of pace. Matt Strahm has been on a remarkable run, as he has gone 20.1 innings without allowing a run. His season ERA is down to just 0.87, and he has struck out 30 batters in 21 games.
Jeff Hoffman has continued to pitch well since being claimed by the Phillies during the 2023 season. This year, he has a 1.19 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 22.2 innings of work. Orion Kerkering has been just as good since coming off the IL, and even Seranthony Dominguez has been excellent as of late. In May, he has a 1.17 ERA, which is much more promising than the 9.58 ERA he had at the end of April.
Eventually, it had to Come, Right?
The short answer is yes, probably. After 15 consecutive series wins or ties, a series loss seemed to be inevitable. No team is ever perfect, and no team is even particularly close to achieving perfection. However, the Rockies are not a team you can afford to surrender to, regardless of the situation.
Coming into the series, the Rockies had a -74 run differential, and their pitchers were averaging 5.57 runs per game, the most in all of baseball. Their offense has been flat all season. They had just a measly 16 wins before this series.
Nonetheless, confidence is still high in the Phillies clubhouse: “We’re going to come right back tomorrow,” said Suarez through an interpreter.
The Phillies are set to face the San Francisco Giants in a three-game series starting on Monday.
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