Long ball hurts Walker, Phillies bats go silent in loss to Rockies

The Phillies missed their first chance at a series sweep Sunday, losing 4-1 to the Colorado Rockies. Taijuan Walker’s rough start to the season continued at hitter-friendly Coors Field, as he allowed three home runs.

Opposing hitters again jumped on Walker early. After two quick outs in the bottom of the first, former Phillie Mickey Moniak opened the scoring with a solo home run. Hunter Goodman then singled, and T.J. Rumfield hit a two-run shot to put the Rockies up 3-0.

In the second inning, Adolis García put the Phillies on the board with a solo homer off Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano, whose 33 home runs allowed last season with the Orioles led the American League. But that was the only damage Sugano allowed all afternoon, as he pitched six innings, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five.

The score held at 3-1 until the bottom of the fifth, when Moniak hit his second homer of the game off Walker – another solo shot – extending the Rockies lead to 4-1. In total, Walker allowed four runs and seven hits across five innings pitched, walking two and striking out four.

The Phillies bullpen kept the deficit there, but the lineup could not come back against Rockies pitching. Alec Bohm and García singled in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but Brandon Marsh and Rafael Marchán struck out against Colorado closer Viktor Vodnik to seal the 4-1 loss.

Phillies hitters were limited to six hits Sunday, with their top five hitters going 2-for-19. After scoring seven runs in the first inning versus the Rockies Friday, the Phillies scored just six runs across the following 26 innings. 

Sunday’s loss ended the Phillies’ win streak at four. They have a 5-4 record through their first nine games of the season. The loss also ends a nine-game winning streak for the Phillies against the Rockies dating back to the 2025 season.

The Phillies next play Monday night, when they open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Andrew Painter will pitch for the Phillies in the first road start of his major league career, while Adrian Houser starts for the Giants. First pitch is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET.