The Rockies survived the Philadelphia Phillies’ thunder and lightning, not to mention Mother Nature’s, and rallied for a 6-3 victory Saturday night.
It was Colorado’s fifth straight win and their eighth straight victory at Coors Field.
The Rockies’ bullpen was nearly flawless for four innings. The offense, the most potent in the National League for the past five weeks, continued rolling. Colorado pounded out 12 timely hits, including a 3-for-4 night by Ryan Spilborgh that included a two-run homer and a 3-for-4, and a two-RBI performance by Todd Helton.
The game began with the Phillies battering starter Rodrigo Lopez like a high plains hailstorm.
Jimmy Rollins drove Lopez’s third pitch of the ballgame into the seats above the right-field scoreboard. It was the 100th home run of his career and 16th of the season. Then Ryan Howard, the reigning Home Run Derby king, lined Lopez’s 3-2 pitch beyond the left-field wall, driving home Chase Utley to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead. It was Howard’s 21st homer of the season.
With Lopez teetering, the rain began, interrupting play for 1 hour, 22 minutes. When the tarp was lifted and play resumed, Lopez was a different pitcher, allowing just one base runner from the second through the fifth inning. He departed after the fifth, having thrown just 77 pitches.
The Rockies’ bullpen took command from there, allowing just two hits the rest of the way. Jeremy Affeldt struck out Utley and Howard in a 1-2-3 eighth. Manny Corpas struck out the side in the ninth, whiffing Aaron Rowand, Greg Dobbs and Wes Helms in quick succession. Corpas recorded the first save of his career.
Colorado rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the fifth. Spilborghs led off with a 412-foot, two-run homer to left-center, scoring Yorvit Torrealba, who opened the inning with a double. Helton’s run-scoring single drove in Jamey Carroll, putting the Rockies ahead for good, at 4-3. Helton also gave the Rockies a run in the first inning, driving in Carroll from first with a double off the right-field wall.
Spilborghs added a run-scoring single in the sixth, giving the Rockies a 5-3 cushion. Brad Hawpe’s two-out single in the seventh drove in Helton to account for Colorado’s final run.
Staff Writer Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
