Philadelphia –September baseball is a time for wonderful desperation. It is a time for fingernails to vanish along with aspirin to mask the pain from the season-long grind.
Walking into the Rockies’ clubhouse Wednesday, however, it was hard to see the doubt and desire that inspired them. It was hard to see anything with the players clustered in two primary pockets: those playing PlayStation military games and those watching the “Family Guy.”
They didn’t seem at work, but rather at play. It ultimately helped make complete sense of a bizarre game as the Rockies toyed with the Phillies in a 12-0 mauling at Citizens Bank Park.
The win pulled the Rockies even with the Phillies in the wild-card standings, three games behind the San Diego Padres pending the outcome of their late game.
This was not your typical victory, a strangeness that went beyond the lopsided score, the six-run fourth inning and Mark Redman’s spotless work. In the Rockies’ first at-bat, Cory Sullivan singled and Troy Tulowitzki, recovered from Tuesday’s undisclosed leg injury, laid down a perfect bunt.
Matt Holliday followed with a screaming line drive to Phillies’ third baseman Greg Dobbs. He gloved it for the first out, threw to second to double off Sullivan and Chase Utley tagged out Tulowitzki to end the triple play.
The crowd reacted with wild enthusiasm, noise that only grew as the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning. Denny Bautista, asked to provide just two innings, suddenly found his footing. He struck out Ryan Howard, followed by a popup and lazy flyball. It completed one of the ugliest gems this season: three outs, 28 pitches, 19 balls, no runs.
Bautista followed with a scoreless second, reaching his 40-pitch count. That set the stage for Redman and a stirring offensive outburst. Holliday continued his monster mash hit his fifth home run in four games, a three-run shot in the third inning. Holliday, making a strong push for National League MVP honors, is 6-for-11 with four home runs and eight RBIs in this series.
He was hardly alone as the Rockies scored their most runs ever in a road shutout, topping an 11-0 victory at San Diego on Sept. 13, 2000.
In the fourth inning, Garrett Atkins knocked out Phillies’ starter Kyle Kendrick with a line drive off his right knee. Kendrick was carried off the field and X-Rays were negative. The Rockies spent the rest of the inning treat Phillies’ pitchers like a speed bag. Colorado set 10 batters to the plate. Helton plated three runs with a double and Tulowitzki added a two-RBI single.
When Sullivan homered in the sixth inning, a battery of fans sitting in front of the press box had seen enough. The five men stood up and chanted “E-A-G-L-E-S” then left in defiance.
The only remaining drama was whether the Rockies could secure the shutout. Redman went a long way in reaching the goal. He worked five innings, allowing just two hits. The Phillies were no match for his cut-fastball and changeup, making Redman a strong candidate to start next week either Tuesday or Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Juan Morillo and Josh Newman, solid contributors in Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, completed the blanking.
Staff Writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
