Final Score: Rockies 12, Phillies 2
Through the first few innings on Sunday, it looked as if the rubber match between the Phillies and Rockies would turn into a signature performance for Bryce Harper.
But a disastrous bottom of the fourth inning saw the Rockies turn a 2-0 deficit into a 7-2 lead in the blink of an eye. Chase Anderson labored, surrendering three runs before leaving with two outs, and David Hale put the proverbial cherry on top by surrendering a Trevor Story grand slam that broke things open.
The meltdown — and subsequent inaction on the part of the Phillies’ offense — wasted a two-home run performance from Bryce Harper, who also nailed a runner at the plate when the game was still tight in the second.
The Phillies’ road struggles continued in Colorado, as they move to 2-7 away from Citizens Bank Park this season. They’ll have to turn that trend around soon, or they’ll be in for a long four-game set in St. Louis beginning Monday.
Top Plays
- Bryce Harper got the Phillies off to a very loud start, sending a 3-1 hanging slider from Jon Gray into the right field bullpen to give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead in the first inning.
- As if the home run wasn’t enough, Harper showed off his cannon for an arm in the second inning by nabbing C.J. Cron at the plate on what would’ve been a game-tying single. The somewhat flat-footed throw traveled 219 feet at 91 miles per hour, and J.T. Realmuto finished the job by blocking the plate and applying the tag. It helped Chase Anderson work out of a two-on, no-out jam.
- OK, maybe the first home run wasn’t enough. Harper continued stealing the show in the third inning, this time with a bomb that traveled a staggering 468 feet, landing in the bleachers above the bullpen in right field.
- Following a sacrifice fly that cut the Phillies’ lead in half, Chase Anderson had opposing pitcher Jon Gray in a 1-2 count with a chance to get out of the inning. But Gray lined a cutter that caught too much plate into center field to tie the game. It was a big moment, not just because it tied the game but because it set the stage for what came next.
- After Raimel Tapia gave the Rockies the lead with an RBI single, David Hale came in and allowed a no-doubter grand slam to Trevor Story that broke the game wide open. After Harper had almost single-handedly given the Phillies a 2-0 lead, Colorado made it 7-2 in just one half inning.
- Andrew McCutchen’s defensive struggles continued when he slid for a ball off the bat of Dom Nuñez in the fifth. McCutchen came up empty and the ball rolled all the way to the wall, allowing Josh Fuentes to score and Nuñez to coast into third. He scored on a groundout two batters later.
- Bailey Falter made his Major League debut, throwing a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning and inducing a 5-4-3 double play to end the frame.
- But Falter, well, faltered in the eighth, when Cron’s fourth hit of the day landed 447 feet away in the left center field bleachers for a two-run homer.
- Nick Maton picked up yet another base hit in the eighth, his second of the day and his 11th through his first six games — second most in Phillies history.
Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Performance
Chase Anderson: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO, 87 pitches
Anderson was relatively effective through the first three innings. The Rockies made hardly any noise in the first and third, and Anderson worked out of the jam in the second to keep them off the board. But the wheels came off in the fourth, when he lost his command and offspeed pitches lost their bite and he had to labor through two outs before being pulled.
Anderson had been fine — for a fifth starter — in his first three starts, but Sunday’s outing was rather forgettable. His season ERA climbed to 6.48.
Jon Gray: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO, 91 pitches
Gray was quite good against hitters not named Bryce Harper, as singles by Mickey Moniak and Didi Gregorius were the only hits against the righty apart from the homers.
Phillies Nuggets Player of the Game: Trevor Story
Gray’s solid start and timely hit give him a case and Cron’s four knocks gives him one, but Story’s grand slam was the difference-maker on Sunday. The Phillies could’ve escaped the fourth inning down by just a run, but the 433-bomb gave the Rockies a lead that was never seriously challenged.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Monday, April 26 vs. St. Louis Cardinals at 7:45 pm ET
- Busch Stadium
- NBC Sports Philadelphia
- 94 WIP
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