Two-out, seventh-inning rally leads Phillies to season-opening win at Citizens Bank Park
Final Score: Phillies 6, Rockies 1
Over the weekend in D.C., Phillies hitters had a tough time against Nationals starting pitching, and that trend continued on Monday in the team’s home opener at Citizens Bank Park against the Rockies.
Thankfully for them, Colorado called on its bullpen in the seventh inning. The Phillies feasted on relievers in the first two games of the year and did so again Monday.
Colorado starter Germán Márquez worked his way through the Phillies lineup with relative ease; the right-hander didn’t allow a run in six innings of work. He only fired more than 15 pitches in an inning once.
The best chance the Phillies had against Márquez came in the bottom of the fifth. An Edmundo Sosa two-out double put runners on second and third for the top of the lineup. But Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging to end the threat.
Two innings later, Sosa and Schwarber would be important again.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh and Márquez out of the game, a Bryson Stott two-out double and pinch-hit walk by Trea Turner chased left-handed reliever Scott Alexander from the game. With Sosa due up, Rockies manager Bud Black summoned right-hander Victor Vodnik from the ‘pen for the right-on-right matchup.
The matchup didn’t work. Sosa lined a ball into the right-center field gap, plating Stott and Turner to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
Vodnik not getting Sosa out spelled trouble for the Rockies. He would have to face Schwarber now.
Schwarber worked a 1-1 count and then smoked a 99 mph fastball off the ivy beyond the center-field wall. He was redeemed. The Phillies lead was now 4-1.
Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos went back-to-back in the eighth to extend that lead to 6-1.
On the bump, Cristopher Sánchez was solid. He lost command at times, walking two hitters. He escaped a jam in the top of the third inning. The left-hander allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven batters. The lone blemish on his score line came in the top of the sixth when catcher Hunter Goodman homered.
The Phillies are now 3-1 on the season. They’re off on Tuesday. They return to action on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. for Game 2 of their series against Colorado.