USATSI_18121872 — © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Take Series Finale in Colorado

The Phillies salvaged a win Wednesday afternoon from their series in Colorado at the Rockies' Coors Field.

Author:
Ben Silver
Apr 20, 2022 6:25 PM EDT

It's been building for a few days, but the Philadelphia Phillies offense finally came to life Wednesday afternoon in the high altitude of Denver, Colorado.

After scoring five runs on 11 hits Tuesday night in a one-run loss, the Phillies put a nine-spot on the board in their series finale against the Colorado Rockies.

The Phillies went down silently in the first, before Zach Eflin allowed a two-run double to Ryan McMahon in the first, putting his club in an early hole.

Then, for both teams, the bats went silent. Eflin dispatched Rockies hitters for three innings without incident until the fifth while Rockies starter, Germán Márquez, did the same through the third inning.

When Nick Castellanos strode to the plate in the fourth inning, he wasn't going to let his red-hot streak go to waste, mashing an 0-1 fastball from Márquez for a home run to dead-center field.

Two batters later, Kyle Schwarber, who has been quietly heating up, drew a walk of his own which Alec Bohm followed with an opposite field blast, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead.

In the fifth inning, Eflin slowly began to fall apart, allowing back-to-back hits to begin the inning.

Randal Grichuk tied the game with a sacrifice fly and C.J. Cron, who's plagued the Phillies the entire week, blooped a singled of his own, giving the Rockies a 4-3 lead.

Not to be outdone, Schwarber came back in the sixth inning with another big hit, one that traveled 468 feet before landing in the third deck at Coors Field.

In the Rockies half of the sixth, Eflin was relieved by Brad Hand, who finished up a clean sixth inning before the Phillie bats could get back to work.

The Phillies big rally began early in the seventh with a Rhys Hoskins walk followed by singles from Bryce Harper and Castellanos. With the bases loaded and no outs, it seemed like the Phillies might fail to capitalize on a prime scoring opportunity once again when J.T. Realmuto struck out.

But Schwarber was hit by a pitch to force in a run and Bohm contributed again with a run-scoring sacrifice fly. The Phillies had worked themselves to a 6-4 lead, but the inning wasn't done as the man of the hour, Johan Camargo, walked to the plate.

Camargo already had three hits, all singles, in three at-bats by the seventh inning, but his three-run blast to left field sealed a brilliant day for the Venezuelan infielder. It was the first four-hit game for a Phillies shortstop since Jean Segura had one in 2019.

The Rockies threat wasn't done, Jeurys Famillia relieved Brad Hand and immediately allowed a RBI to Cron and McMahon again. Familia escaped the inning without allowing further damage, but the Rockies were back in the ballgame with a 9-6 deficit.

José Alvarado held the Rockies scoreless in a surprisingly easy eighth inning, sending their order down 1-2-3.

The Phillies, unable to add any more insurance in the later innings, sent closer Corey Knebel to the mound in the ninth for his second save situation of the season.

He induced three quick outs for a 9-6 Phillies victory, their fifth of the season.

The Phillies have their first off day of the year on Thursday, before a tough series at home facing 2021 NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers this weekend.