Phils Offense Struggles Again In 3-1 Loss To Rockies
DENVER (AP) — Not even hitter-friendly Coors Field could snap the Philadelphia Phillies out of their offensive funk.
The Phillies have been held to two runs and seven singles in the first two games of the series. Philadelphia had five of its hits in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.
The Phillies have scored three runs in their past four games and haven't had an extra-base hit in any of them. The last team to go four straight games without an extra-base hit was the Florida Marlins from Sept. 12-16, 1993.
"We're a better team than this," Phillies center fielder Ben Revere said. "One of these games we're going to really to explode and we're going go from there. We got the talent. We got the hitters. So it's all going to come together and then we'll be rolling."
Jordan Lyles (3-0), who became the first Rockies starter to pitch into the eighth this season, allowed five hits and one unearned run. Justin Morneau hit a two-run homer, and the Rockies won their season-high third straight game.
The game was delayed briefly a couple of times when a squirrel wandered on and off the field. The animal was eventually corraled by groundskeepers and taken away.
Lyles, acquired in December from Houston in exchange for outfielder Dexter Fowler, left after giving up a leadoff single in the eighth. Boone Logan made a throwing error on a tapper hit by pinch hitter John Mayberry Jr and gave up a run on a ground out. LaTroy Hawkins pitched a hitless ninth for his fifth save in five chances.
Kyle Kendrick (0-2) went seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits in a solid outing but could not avoid a seventh straight loss, dating to last Aug. 11.
The last Phillies pitchers to have a losing streak of seven games or more was reliever Brad Lidge, who lost eight in a row over 57 appearances from April 18-Sept. 23, 2009. The last Philadelphia starter to lose seven straight was Omar Daal from Aug. 13-Sept. 16, 2000.
Colorado got on the scoreboard when home plate umpire Tim Welke ruled Nolan Arenado safe on a close play at the plate in the third after initially calling him out. Rockies manager Walt Weiss asked Welke to take another look at the play, and after viewing the replay, the umpire determined that catcher Carlos Ruiz had blocked the plate before he received the throw home in violation of new collision rules instituted this season to better protect catchers and base runners.
"I guess that's why we have it," Kendrick said of the replay, "but it's frustrating when it doesn't it go (your way). Stuff like that, you wish you didn't have it. That was the same call we had at home in the game I was pitching (on Sunday).
Arenado scored from first on D.J. LeMahieu's single that rolled through the right center gap.
Carlos Gonzalez opened the fourth with a single and Morneau drove a 1-1 cutter from Kendrick into the right field bleachers above the scoreboard for his third homer of the season to make it 3-0.
The Phillies had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, but shortstop Troy Tulowitzki fielded Domonic Brown's hard grounder and started a double play. And in the eighth after Philadelphia scored a run on Jimmy Rollins' grounder, Logan struck out Chase Utley to strand a runner at second.
Lyles and Tyler Chatwood, who started Friday for the Rockies, have combined to limit the Phillies to seven singles and two runs in 14 innings. Indeed, Phillies hitters are 7-for-49 (.143) against the two Rockies starters.
"The guys seem to be a little bit in between with the two guys that we faced these first two games," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. " They're just in between on pitches, in between on what might be coming. Their guys pitched well but we seem to be just a little bit off."
NOTES: The Phillies selected the contract of RHP Shawn Camp from Triple A Lehigh Valley, filling the roster spot of RHP Jonathan Pettibone, who was optioned to Lehigh Valley the night before. The Phillies will have to make another roster move when LHP Cole Hamels (left biceps tendinitis) is expected to be reinstated from the disabled list in time to start Wedneday's game at Los Angeles. Hamels is one win shy of 100 for his career. ... Rockies OF-INF Michael Cuddyer missed a second straight game with a sore left hamstring. He remains day to day. ... Arenado's leadoff single in the third inning extended his hitting streak to 10 games, matching a career best. ... RHP Roberto Hernandez (1-0) is slated to start Sunday's series finale for the Phillies against Rockies' RHP Juan Nicasio (2-0).
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