GAME RECAP: Rockies Beat Phillies 4-1
Rockies right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis took a perfect game into the seventh and
no-hitter into the eighth as the Rockies defeated the Phillies, 4-1, at Citizens
Bank Park on Friday. Bettis (2-0), who took a shutout into the ninth inning
Sunday, but gave up two runs in a win over the Giants was even more special
Friday -- allowing two hits in eight scoreless innings, with seven strikeouts.
For a while, he was bidding to join ex-Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez as the only Rockies members of the
no-hit club. Jimenez threw his on the road against the Braves on April 17,
2010. Bettis finished with 66 strikes in 104 pitches. But with one out in the
eighth, Phillies left fielder Cody Asche rolled a single through the shortstop
hole, which was vacated in an infield shifted to the right. Carlos Ruiz singled with two down. Rockies manager
Walt Weiss, who had relievers Boone Logan and Rafael Betancourt warm, visited the mound, but let
Bettis finish as he fanned pinch-hitter Darin Ruf on a check-swing. Bettis had a perfect game
until shortstop Troy Tulowitzki ranged
to the middle for a grounder from speedy Ben Revere but had the ball kick off the heel of his
glove. The play was close, but it was ruled an error. But Tulowitzki had a
four-hit night and was responsible for Bettis' lead, thanks to his solo homers
in the first and third innings off Phillies starter Cole Hamels (5-4), whom the Rockies barely touched
otherwise in eight innings. The Rockies opened the lead on Ben Paulsen's two-run homer off Luis Garcia in the eighth. Hamels fanned nine and
held the Rockies to five hits. The Phillies nearly suffered their second
straight shutout, but left fielder Brandon Barnes dropped a Chase Utley fly ball against the wall and Revere
scored from second. Revere had reached on a strikeout-wild pitch with John Axford on the Rockies' mound.
OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Early in
the season, Hamels was a frequent victim of the long ball. The lefty gave
up seven home runs in his first 18 innings this season, but coming into
Friday's start, he had only allowed one since and none in his last 34 1/3
innings pitched. That changed in the first inning with Tulowitzki's first
homer. Hamels had previously dominated Tulowitzki over his career, as
before Friday's contest the shortstop was just 2-for-16 versus Hamels.
- Phillies
manager Ryne Sandberg was ejected in the top of the ninth inning by
home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez. Sandberg was arguing a called ball on a
pitch thrown by Garcia that he believed to be strike three to Nolan Arenado. The
questionable nature of Arenado's check swing, or lack thereof, came
because Ruf, pinch-hitting for Hamels, was rung up on a questionable
check-swing to end the previous inning. Sandberg could be seen asking
Hernandez, "What was the difference?," before leaving the field.
- Chase Utley
and Carlos Ruiz will likely both be excited to see De La Rosa on the mound
as both have seen success in their careers versus the lefty. Utley has a career
cycle against De La Rosa and is a .353 hitter while Ruiz is a 6-for-11
(.545) with two doubles, one RBI, two walks and an OPS of 1.370. The only
players with at least 14 plate appearances against De La Rosa who have a
higher OPS than Ruiz are Ryan Braun of the Brewers and former Phillies
outfielder Shane Victorino.
NEXT GAME:
Two pitchers will be
facing off against relatively familiar foes Saturday, when Aaron Harang and
Jorge De La Rosa start against the Rockies and Phillies respectively for the
second time in less than two weeks. Harang started for the Phillies at Coors
Field on May 19 and De La Rosa made a start two days later for the Rockies in
the same series. Neither pitcher received a decision in those outings, but
their teams won both of the games. De La Rosa has not started since his last
outing versus the Phillies. He had to miss a start because of a cut on his left
middle finger and it was rescheduled for Saturday. The 34-year-old is 1-2 with
an ERA of 6.51, though that mark has decreased every start since it was at
31.50 after his first start this season. A pitcher who has outperformed his
record this year, Harang enters Saturday with a 4-4 record, but an ERA of 1.92.
That mark is sixth in the National League and eighth in MLB. He has not allowed
more than two earned runs in a start this month.
PHILS PHACTS:
Asche Breaks Up No Hitter – Cody
Asche had plenty of things to be nervous about in the Phillies' 4-1
loss. Yesterday, Asche was a Minor Leaguer.
Last month, he was a third baseman. And a few hours ago, he and his teammates
were in danger of combining to tally zero hits over nine innings. But none of
this troubled Asche. He came up to the plate in the eighth inning with a zero
burning a hole in the Phillies' hit column. He stood in the batter's box and
slapped a ball to the opposite field into the shift-vacated shortstop slot,
breaking up Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis' no-hitter after 7 1/3 innings. When
asked after the game whether or not he felt jitters batting with all the
pressure on him and his teammates to break up the no-hitter, Asche answered
quite succinctly. "No," Asche said. "Not one bit." This sentiment
stayed consistent with what he had said before the game. Despite all the talk
that centered around the difficulty of the transition from third base to left
field, Asche said he wasn't nervous to play his first Major League game as an
outfielder. And though he sort of reneged on that after the game by saying he
did feel a little anxious during his first few at-bats, he said he collected
himself and felt comfortable. "I was a little jittery maybe the first
hitter or so," he said. "But once I got some sweat going, I got some
balls hit in the air that I could see. It's baseball." Only one ball was
hit in play in Asche's direction -- a sinking line drive off the bat of DJ LeMahieu -- and he played it cleanly to execute
the out. As for his hit, Asche said it was able to happen because he was
actively trying to punish the Rockies for shifting on him, saying this was
easily the most drastic shift he had personally encountered all season. Phillies
manager Ryne Sandberg said this wasn't just true of Asche, but of his team as a
whole. "That's the most shift I've seen on our whole lineup,"
Sandberg said. "I think even [on] Freddy Galvis [the Rockies] had a modified shift.
They were playing some odds there and some drastic defense." However, that
shift played straight into the plans of Asche. "I was trying to [hit the
ball the other way] all night," he said. "I just did it the last
time. A shift like that can't go unnoticed."
Welcome
Back – Two weeks after sending him down to Triple-A, the Phillies
have recalled Cody Asche in advance of Friday's game against the Rockies. A
third baseman before being sent to Lehigh Valley, Asche went down to the Minors
to learn how to play left field. The position change came in anticipation of
the callup of Maikel Franco, who has been manning third base since
Asche's demotion. A corresponding move to Asche's callup has yet to be made,
but a move will be made prior to tonight's 7:05 first pitch. Prior to his
demotion, Asche batted .245 with an OPS of .632 in 30 games in the Majors this
year. In Triple-A, he batted .295 with an OPS of .752 in 15 games.
Crawford Advances – As of Friday night,
J.P. Crawford is one step closer to his future. After blazing through Class A
Advanced ball, the 20-year-old shortstop prospect has been promoted to Double-A
Reading, effective immediately. Crawford, who was the Phillies' first-round
pick back in the 2013 MLB Draft, batted .303 in 83 games at Class A Advanced
Clearwater over the past two seasons. In 20 games this season, he kicked his
play into an even higher gear, batting .392 and reaching base nearly every
other at-bat with an on-base percentage of .494. On the Reading roster, he will
join the Phillies' first-round pick from the 2014 MLB Draft, Aaron Nola, and
2010 first-round pick, Jesse Biddle, both of whom are starting pitchers. Crawford
attended Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Calif., an hour-and-a-half up the
Pacific Coast from where Phillies ace Cole Hamels went to high school nearly a decade ago.
Furry Game – On May 30, 2015, the
Phillies Wives are doing what they can to help save the lives of pets in need
at the 3:05 p.m. game against the Colorado Rockies. Jen Utley, along
with the Phillies Wives and Pennsylvania SPCA volunteers, will be
at the First Base Gate Plaza to host the Save a Pet at the Park event,
benefitting the PSPCA from 1:05 p.m. - 4:35 p.m., before and during the 3:05
p.m. game vs. the Colorado Rockies. Dogs and cats will be on-site available to
adopt. Click
here to view some of the animals
available for adoption at the First Base Gate. Fans can participate in a
silent auction with game-used and autographed memorabilia, purchase signed
"Mystery Balls", or donate pet toys or treats and new or gently used
blankets. Phillies Charities 50/50 Drawing: Tickets will be available,
benefiting the PSPCA. The Phillies Wives and adoptable dogs will be on the
field pre-game to help promote awareness to the cause. Since the event has been
hosted, more than $230,000 has been raised for the PSCPA. For more information
on the Phillies Wives in the community, visit the Phillies
Wives Page. ALSO, DOGS ON THE BUDWEISER
ROOFTOP! For the first time this season, dogs - along with their human
owners and friends - will be watching the game from the Budweiser Rooftop as
part of the Phillies' sold-out Bark in the Park Theme Night.
Proceeds will also benefit the PSPCA.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the
NL east at 19-31. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance
this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All
time, the Phillies are 75-83-0 on this day.
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