Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies Tid Bits

Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies

July 23-26, 2010 at PNC Park

On the Offensive

Hitting coach Milt Thompson became the victim of the Phillies struggles on Thursday. He was fired. Greg Gross, a former minor league manager and hitting instructor with the Rockies organization, replaced Thompson.

Gross is the Phillies’ all-time leader with 117 pinch-hits for them. He ranks fifth on the all-time list with a career total of 143.

Gross began his non-playing career as the hitting coach for the Rockies New Haven affiliate in the 1995-96 seasons, and spent 1997-2000 as the Rockies minor league hitting instructor. He returned to the Phillies as the bench coach in 2001, and was their hitting coach from 2002-04. He has been a minor-league hitting coach for the Phillies since.

Phillies have scored zero or one run in 23 games already, two more than the total for 2009.

Stat Facts

How the Rockies and Phillies compare in team stats:

Rockies (NL rank)        Stat      Phillies (NL rank)

456 (3^rd)                       Runs    437 (6^th)

.264 (3^rd)                      Avg.     .253 (13^th)

.338 (2^nd)                     OBP     .323 (12^th)

54 (11^th)                       SB        49 (13^th)

66.0 (15^th)                    SB%     83.0 (1^st)

.265 (9^th)                      MISP    .257 (11^th)

4.03 (7^th)                      ERA      4.67 (9^th)

.252 (5^th)                      BAA     .262 (10^th)

32 of 43, 66.0 (10^th)    SV%     30 of 41, 63.0 (13^th)

Lately

Phillies have lost six of eight since the All-Star Break, going 1-for-4 against the Cubs and Cardinals in an eight-game road trip. In the last three games they were 2-for-23 with runners in scoring position and scored four runs, including a 2-0, 11-inning win at St. Louis on Thursday afternoon.

Jamie Moyer suffered a strained left elbow in his start this week and will be replaced in the rotation on Sunday by J.A. Happ, who was called up from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Kyle Kendrick, who was sent to the minors after giving up seven runs and three home runs in five innings of his Monday start, was recalled and will take his regular start on Saturday. He replaced Moyer on the roster and could be called up prior to the 10-day requirement because of Moyer’s injury.

Ryan Howard had a big road trip, going 13-for-32 with five home runs and 10 RBI.

Jimmy Rollins was 4-for-32 on the trip. Rollins, who has played only 39 games because of calf problems, moved from leadoff to the sixth in the order in the last two games with Placido Polanco moving to the top of the lineup. Rollins is hitting .183 since coming off the disabled list for the second time on June 22.

Reliever Jose Contreras, who allowed one earned run in 16 innings his first 18 appearances of the season, has given up 13 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings his last 20 appearances.

Ben Francisco has started in LF in place of Raul Ibanez in last 3 games against a lefty.

Phillies are 15-18 in  day games, and final three games of this series are day games.

Familiar Faces

Denver native Roy Halladay will be facing the Rockies for the second time this year. The major off-season acquisition of the Phillies had a no decision in a Phillies loss at Coors Field earlier this year. In his last eight starts, Halladay has a 3.24 ERA but is 2-5.

Aaron Cook starts against Halladay in the opener. Cook earned the Rockies only win against the Phillies in the NL Division Series last October.

Ailing

Phillies have two players on the disabled list.

Moyer was disabled on Thursday with the left elbow strain. Chase Utley is out until the end of August following right thumb surgery on July 1.

Octoberfest

Last two times Rockies have made the post-season – 2007 and 2009 – they have played Phillies in the first round. In 2007, Rockies swept Phillies on their way to the World Series. Last year, the Phillies disposed of the Rockies in four games on their way to the World Series.

Aaron Cook  earned the Rockies only win last year, allowing three runs in five innings of Game 2.

Past Encounters

Rockies are 59-74 all-time against Phillies, 29-48 in Philadelphia. Two teams split two games at Coors Field May 10-12, with a third game postponed. It will be made up at Coors Field Sept. 2, the Rockies flying home from San Francisco, where they play Sept. 1, for the makeup game and then heading to San Diego, where they play Sept. 3.

Rockies have swept Philadelphia in four series, all in Denver.

Phillies have swept Colorado eight times, three times in Philadelphia.

Deep Thinking

Rockies have two extra inning home runs against Phillies, both in Philly: Dante Bichette off Roger Mason in 13^th inning Aug. 23, 1993, and Ben Petrick at Philadelphia off Wayne Gomes in 11^th inning Aug. 30, 2000.

2 Game ending home runs for Rockies – Vinny Castilla off Tim Worrell May 17, 2004, and Todd Helton off Rheal Cormier on July 31, 2001. Both were at Coors Field.

2 sets of back-to-back home runs for Rockies against Phillies: Bichette and Coles, May 12, 1997, at Philadelphia, and Vander Wal and Castilla, June 14, 1991 at Coors Field.

2 leadoff home runs for Phillies against Rockies, both in Coors Field: Jimmy Rollins off Rodrigo Lopez on July 7, 2007 at Coors Field, and Marlon Byrd off Chin-Hui Tsao on Aug. 6, 2003.

1 inside park home run for Rockies, Ellis Burks, of Mike Williams, Coors Field, June 14, 1996.

2 grand slams for Rockies against Phillies, both in pinch-hit roles: Jeff Reed off Ricky Botalico at Coors Field, and Larry Walker, May 6, 1998 off Spradlin.

4 pinch-hit home runs, the two slams, plus Chris Jones on, and then INF Terry Shumpert.

 Pitching In

5 complete games for the Rockies, but the last one came on Aug. 28, 1999 Game 2 when Bohanon won 4-0 at Coors Field.

5 shutouts by the Rockies, two at Coors Field. Two complete game shutouts, both at Coors Field.

5 times the Phillies have shutout the Rockies, three times at Coors Field. Three of the shutouts have been complete games, one at Coors Field.

2 2-hitters by Rockies pitchers – David Neid, Bruce Ruffin and Holmes at Philadelphia on April 4, 1994, and Kevin Jarvis, Julian Taveras, Mike DeJean, Mike Myers and Jose Jimenez at Philadelphia on May 20, 2000.

FYI

Phillies are only major league team with which the Rockies have never made a trade.

When Manny Corpas assumed the closer role in 2007 it was on July 7 that he earned his first save, sending him on a streak of converting 16 in a row. He also earned saves in all three games of Rockies NLDS sweep that October.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel managed Cleveland’s AAA affiliate in Colorado Springs 1990-92, when Dan O’Dowd was the Indians director of player development. SkySox won PCL title in 1992. Manuel was inducted into Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

Rockies are 1-1 in 1-0 games against Phillies. Rockies lost to Brett Myers in Denver April 26, 2006, and Darryl Kile beat Phillies at Veterans Stadium May 30, 1999.

Twice Phillies have hit six home runs in an inning, one shy of club record, against Rockies. Aug. 11, 2004 in Phillies, and May 30, 1993 at Mile High.

Chase Utley had his first major league hit, a home run at Veterans Stadium, against Rockies on April 24, 2003.

Utley had a career-high 6 RBI against Rockies in Philadelphia on May 26, 2008.

Utley hit grand slams off Aaron Cook on April 24, 2003 and Sun Woo Kim on April 14, 2006.

Jayson Werth had an inside the Park home run at Coors Field on April 21, 2008 off Mark Redman.

Matt Holliday hit into a triple play at Philadelphia on Sept. 12, 2007. He lined to third baseman Greg Dobbs, who threw to second baseman Chase Utley, who doubled off Cory Sullivan and tagged out Troy Tulowitzki, running from first.