The Philadelphia Phillies completed the series sweep against the Colorado Rockies by winning the getaway game 2-0 on Thursday afternoon.
Ránger Suárez earned his third victory of the season while Jordan Romano earned his sixth save as the Phillies’ de facto closer.
The Fightins previously swept the Rockies in a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. With this four-game sweep, the Phillies have swept the Rockies in their season series, the first time the Phillies have done so in seven-plus games against an opponent in franchise history.
The Phillies (32-18) have now won seven games in a row and own the best record in the National League while the Rockies (8-42) own the worst record in all of baseball.
Making the Most on Opportunities
After a quiet first inning of action, Kyle Schwarber attempted to get things going in the second inning, hitting a leadoff single. Nick Castellanos then followed up a line drive to the warning stop in left field. The line drive, just feet away from being a home run, was caught by a leaping left fielder Jordan Beck. Schwarber had home plate on his mind and, having already rounded second base, was left sprinting back to first but was beaten to the bag by a relay from shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, resorting a 7-6-3 fly-out double play.
After what ended up being nine up and nine down for the Phillies against Germán Márquez, Bryson Stott led off top of the fourth by reaching on an error from Tovar. Tovar bobbled a ground ball hit directly to him, allowing Stott to reach. Stott then proceeded to steal second base, diving so hard into the base that he dislodged it from its resting place. With one out, Bryce Harper slung his 13th double of the season down the left field line, scoring Stott and giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
Márquez was very effective, using only 67 pitches through six innings. Schwarber worked a leadoff walk off Márquez, being only the fifth baserunner he had let up on the day. With one out on the inning, Max Kepler hit a double down the right field line, scoring Schwarber to increase the Phillies’ lead to 2-0.
Suárez pitches another strong gem
Ranger Suárez pitched another strong outing for the Phillies, navigating out of a few tough spots on his way to 6.2 scoreless innings. After a 1-2-3 first inning, Suárez allowed at least one runner per inning, allowing six hits and three walks on the day. In the bottom of the seventh, he allowed a two-out double to Beck followed by a walk to Tovar. With two runners on, the Phillies went to Orion Kerkering to get out of the inning. Kerkering needed only one pitch to do so, getting Hunter Goodman to pop out to Bryce Harper right by the Rockies’ dugout.
In his four outings since returning from the Injured List, Suárez has worked two scoreless outings for a 3.70 ERA. His 99 pitches are right in line with his previous outing against Pittsburgh, indicating that the left-hander’s stamina has returned. He now improves to a 3-0 record on the season.
Handing it Off to the Phillies Bullpen
Kerkering played his part getting to his easiest outing of the season, throwing one pitch for one out. The Phillies then turned to Matt Strahm to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Strahm had yet to pitch in the Phillies four-game stint against the Rockies, having most recently thrown one inning against the Pirates on the 18th. With a well-rested arm, Strahm worked through a simple inning, allowing one hit on a single from Doyle.
Jordan Romano came on to close out the sweep in the bottom of the 9th. The Rockies went to a pair of pinch hitters in Nick Martini and former Phillie Mickey Moniak. Romano struck out the pair and then forced a fly out to Beck, putting the Rockies down in order to secure the save and the series sweep for the Phillies.
Offense Capitalizes on a Quiet Afternoon
As a team, the Phillies only managed four hits on the day. Three of those four hits, however, were doubles, with a pair of them being RBI doubles. Harper and Kepler both reached base twice while earning one RBI each on the day while Stott and Schwarber scored.
Harper has a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .357 with a 1.004 OPS over the last 15 games.
What’s Next
The Phillies will now travel to Sacramento, Calif. for the first time to face the Athletics, who are calling Sacramento a temporary home. The Phillies’ three game set against the vagabond franchise will be a late one, with Friday and Saturday’s affairs kicking off at 10:05 P.M. ET.
The series finale will be on Sunday at 4:05 P.M. as the Phillies get Memorial Day off. All three games will be broadcasted on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
