Recap: Phillies 5, Rockies 1
Turning point: After four rather easy innings, Ubaldo Jimenez threw 35 pitches in the fifth and yielded two runs. He walked leadoff hitter Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez followed with a run-scoring double just inside first base on a 3-1 pitch. He took third on a ground out and scored when Carlos Ruiz singled to right on an eight-pitch at-bat. The Phillies tacked on three runs in the sixth, when Jimenez left after giving up hits to the first three batters he faced.
At the plate: The Rockies, who were limited to six hits, were held scoreless by Cliff Lee until Troy Tulowitzki doubled with two out in the ninth. The hit scored Carlos Gonzalez, who had his second opposite-field single with one out. Like Gonzalez, Tulowitzki also went 2-for-4, his first hit being a slow roller to second base with two out in the first. That hit put runners at first and third with two out, but Garrett Atkins flied out on a high changeup. …The Rockies went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position with both hits by Tulowitzki. …Yorvit Torrealba opened the second with a double but was thrown out to end the inning by right fielder Werth, who caught a drive hit by Clint Barmes. Replays, however, showed Torrealba was safe. …Ryan Howard, who went 2-for-4, drove in the Phillies’ third run with a double to left after Chase Utley led off and stole second, the first of four Phillies stolen bases. The gusty wind blew Howard’s ball to the glove-hand side of left fielder Gonzalez, who was unable to reach back and make the catch just as he hit the wall. …Werth followed with a triple on a drive that would have reached the seats had the wind now blown it back. Instead, the ball hit high off the wall, just beyond a leaping Dexter Fowler, and richocheted far into right field for a triple. Ibanez followed Werth and drove in his second run with a single that finished Jimenez.
On the mound: Jimenez finished with 92 pitches, 56 strikes, in five-plus innings. He allowed nine hits, equaling the most he yielded in 33 regular-season starts. Jimenez gave up nine hits in 6 2/3 innings May 27 against the Dodgers. …Franklin Morales, who was scored upon in six of his final nine outings in the regular season, pitched a scoreless seventh. He came on with a runner at second and got Utley and Howard, both left-handed hitters. Utley fouled out to third baseman Atkins, and Howard lined into a double play started by first baseman Todd Helton. …Jason Marquis made his first relief appearance this year after 33 regular-season starts. …Lee retired 16 straight batters after Torrealba’s leadoff double in the second and threw a complete game with no walks, five strikeouts and six hits allowed. He threw a first-pitch strike to 25 of 32 batters.
Numbers game:2 wins in 10 games for the Rockies against the Phillies since sweeping the Phillies in the 2007 National League Division Series.
He said it: “There was a little bit of vulnerability to him in getting started, but once he got into the third and fourth inning, he was pretty much on his game.”
Manager Jim Tracy on Lee
I think Tulo’s hit in the 9th was important for moving beyond this game. They can build on the 9th inning success and hopefully get to Hamels early tomorrow.
Outplayed in every aspect of the game. I feel good about Cook tomorrow. Think we need to get Smith’s bat in there too .
Considering that the weakness of the Phillies is the bullpen, getting complete games from their pitchers is as good a strategy as any. The Rockies’ bats have to wake up tomorrow — can’t come home down 0-2 to have a shot.
All the weaknesses on display–punchless against left-handers, no clutch when the opportunity presented itself (1st inning popout by Atkins) and when the starting pitching fades, the hits keep coming. Hawpe needs to show up, coupled with something at least intermittently from Torrealba, Barmes and whoever’s leading off. No matter how well Cook does, you can’t beat the Phillies day-in and day-out on pitching. Rocks need to score, and more than a couple.
I wish we could temporarily sit Hawpe, but he’s they kind of guy that I think needs at bats to break his slump and once he breaks out he can really carry the team. Once you sit him you might as well bench him for the rest of the playoffs…you can’t do that to one of your few veterans, can you?
This series just made me sick when it was projected a few weeks ago. We are in a Catch 22 with too many positions and are left playing the platoon game instead of our best players.
A bad game in a number of ways. Shake it off. Have to turn it around for Game 2. Good news is CarGo and Tulo did hit. Jiminez didnt get extended so long that he could not come back early if needed. And the wind cannot possibly be that bad again. We have our opening day starter going tommorow and we only needed to get a split here. Yes Game 2 is big, but if the Rocks win it we are back to all even.
Baylor said in the Post that the hitters needed to be patient and get deeper in the counts. So lets see who listened, I’m waiting, right just about no one. As I stated before the leadoff’s hitters job is to go deep in the count and not swing at the very first pitch, what 4 pitches in 2 abs for Fowler. Then with runners in scoring position Atkins has a 2-0 count and swings at the first strike he sees.It is obvious Baylor has tried somethings, so who the heck is listening? Try something new, if it doesn’t work go back to your own way. The Rockies our a streaky hitting team. I don’t mind outs but lets at least have some QUALITY abs. Thursday a new day and I think we can win 3 in a row just as well as Phillie can.
I was happy to see the Rox put so many balls in play – at least this wasn’t a K-fest (finding the bright side).
Jim Tracy cost the Rox a chance too by not pinch hitting for Ubaldo in the 6th. He threw 30 plus pitches in the 5th, lost his control and started to get hit hard. Then he comes out in the 6th and has nothing. Should’ve pulled him after the 5th, what a better oppurtunity to do that when you can pinch hit for him in the 6th. Especially since we were down by two runs and hadn’t shown a thing offensively.
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