The Rockies found misery again in their first extra-inning game this year.
Philadelphia walked-off Colorado, 2-1 in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park, to drop the Rockies to 4-13 on the year.
The Rockies couldn’t solve ace Aaron Nola, and then came up short in a pair of opportunities to score in the 9th and 10th innings before Cristian Pache’s single lifted Philadelphia to the victory.
Cal Quantrill was all the Rockies could ask for, throwing six innings of one-run ball with just four hits allowed. It was by far his best start in a Rockies uniform so far.
Quantrill’s lone true blemish came in the third, when Bryce Harper hit a two-out single to score Trea Turner to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
But as Quantrill held Philadelphia at bay, the Colorado offense got virtually no traction against Nola. That finally changed in the fifth, when Michael Toglia launched a 389-foot, no-doubt homer to right center to tie the game 1-1. Up until that point, the Rockies’ lone baserunners came from singles by Brenton Doyle and Elias Diaz.
Colorado Rockies’ Justin Lawrence pitches during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, April 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Justin Lawrence took care of the seventh inning, and the combination of Jalen Beeks and Nick Mears kept the Phillies off the board in the eighth despite a leadoff walk issued by Beeks to Kyle Schwarber.
In the ninth, Diaz stroked a two-out double off former Colorado pitcher Jeff Hoffman. Kyle Freeland pinch ran for Diaz, getting to third on a wild pitch, and an intentional walk to Nolan Jones followed.
With Elehuris Montero at the plate, another wild pitch from Hoffman was gathered by J.T. Realmuto just off the dirt circle behind home after the ball bounced straight up in the air. The Phillies catcher fired it to Hoffman at the plate and tagged Freeland out.
But the Rockies challenged, possibly in an attempt to get an obstruction call, but the call stood to end the inning. Freeland appeared to hurt his right shoulder on the play when Hoffman — his close friend — fell on top of him. Freeland went right into the clubhouse after the play, but then reappeared in the dugout shortly after. The speed at which the play developed exempted Hoffman from an obstruction violation.
Mears went back out for the ninth, and set the Phillies down in order to force extras.
Seranthony Domínguez pitched the Philadelphia top half of the 10th, but Montero, Toglia and Doyle were retired in order to strand California runner Nolan Jones at third base.
Jake Bird took the mound for the Rockies in the 10th, and the Phillies led off with Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice bunt to advance the runner Bryson Stott to third. Two batters later, Pache singled Stott home on a stroke to right to walk-off the Rockies.