Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs, including the 250th of his career, Cristopher Sánchez threw six strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep on Wednesday evening with a 7-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Trea Turner homered, doubled and singled for the Phillies, who moved above .500 through their best three games of the season. Philadelphia has won 13 of the last 15 against the Rockies.
“There are nights where you have to battle and play small ball, and there are nights like tonight,” Turner said. “Tonight was fun.”
Ezequiel Tovar had three hits and drove in two runs for Colorado, which fell to 4-15 – tied with Miami for the worst record in the NL.
Schwarber hit his milestone shot from 450 feet in the first inning against Ryan Feltner (1-2). He went deep again in the sixth, driving a 90-mph fastball from Peter Lambert off the front of the second deck in right field, 450 feet from home plate, to make it 7-1.
The Philadelphia slugger is eager to clear the fence but isn’t focused on milestones.
“I think they mean a little more when it’s done and you’re sitting on the couch watching baseball,” Schwarber said.
Sánchez (1-2) bounced back from a shaky first inning to strike out ten and walk one while allowing five hits. Colorado’s lone run against the southpaw was unearned.
José Alvarado pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save.
The game was played on a cool, misty night that felt much colder than the game’s 60 degree temperature.
Colorado came within one with five runs in the eighth off Gregory Soto and Jeff Hoffman. All five runs were scored by Soto, who gave up three singles and two walks to six batters. Tovar’s two-run single off Hoffman made it 7-6, but the right-hander set up Brenton Doyle for a sharp lineout to right to end the threat.
“That’s our group. That doesn’t surprise me,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of the near-comeback. “This is a great group of competitors. We’re falling short now. But they won’t melt. They’ll keep fighting and these things will change.”
The Rockies scored first for only the second time this season on Elias Díaz’s RBI groundout in the first.
But the Phillies answered with four runs in the second half. Turner followed Schwarber’s drive to the right with a solo shot to the left. JT Realmuto added an RBI single and Alec Bohm an RBI double.
“I thought we really swung the bats well tonight,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. “It was a good evening offensively.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: OF/INF Kris Bryant placed on the 10-day injured list due to lower back pain. The 32-year-old Bryant has missed the last three games after crashing into the outfield wall and making a catch in Saturday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The move was retroactive to April 14. The Rockies recalled outfielder Sean Bouchard from Triple-A Albuquerque to take Bryant’s place.
NEXT ONE
Rockies: Colorado returns home to play Seattle on Friday, with Rockies RHP Dakota Hudson (0-3, 4.15) facing Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (1-2, 7.98).
Phillies: After an off day, the Phillies open a three-game home series against the White Sox on Friday with Philadelphia RHP Spencer Turnbull (1-0, 1.80) facing Chicago LHP Garrett Crochet (1-2, 3.57).
