Phillies fall for first time all season as they enter 9th with a lead originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
DENVER – The Phillies took the Rockies to the finals on Friday night with a backup catcher coming out of the No. 9 spot.
They were 32-0 when they led after eight innings, but they aren’t anymore. Hitting catcher Jacob Stallings shocked Jose Alvarado by launching a game-tying, first-pitch solo home run, and the Rockies ousted the Phils in the 11th when Ezequiel Tovar singled with the bases loaded against Gregory Soto.
It was a rare misstep for a bullpen that was on fire in May. Alvarado hasn’t recorded a save all season, posting a 1.31 ERA in his last 22 starts.
The Phillies are 37-15 after their six-game winning streak was snapped. They’ve gone 23-5 over the past month and those five losses have come by 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 runs, three of them in extras.
Bryce Harper was ejected after defending a hit in the top of the first and the Phillies went hitless through the first three innings of the game for just the second time all season. They struck first with two runs in the top of the fifth on solo home runs by Nick Castellanos and Edmundo Sosa.
Cristopher Sanchez had another solid start, limiting the Rockies to one run in 5⅓ innings. It was equally encouraging that he maintained career-best speed last weekend against Nacional. In his last start, Sanchez touched 98, reached 97 mph seven times and averaged a career-high 95.4 with his sinker. On Friday night, he didn’t hit 98, but he averaged 95.3 with his sinker. The average was 92.2 last season.
Thomson lifted left to Orion Kerkering with two men on base and one out in the bottom of the sixth and Kerkering quickly ended the inning with a pair of short grounders, then picked up all three outs in the seventh. It was a valuable experience, only the second time in the majors that Kerkering entered a game with men aboard.
Kerkering being so effective early in his big league career was a very important development for the Phillies, especially with fellow right-hander Seranthony Dominguez struggling. The 23-year-old has a 1.86 ERA in 18 career games. Like Sanchez with the change, Kerkering already has a plus pitch (the libero), but is now starting to use his fastball more. The results were impressive.
Jeff Hoffman went 1-2-3 in the eighth, but Alvarado couldn’t finish the job. The Phillies didn’t play badly, they just didn’t hit. Sosa and Castellanos singled and Sosa later doubled, but the rest of the lineup went 4-for-32 without an extra-base hit.
The Phillies look to even the series on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. when Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05) opposes right-hander Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89).
