Jason Hammel suffered a shaky Rockies debut Saturday night. The 6-foot-6 right-hander served up a loud solo homer to Raul Ibañez in the seventh inning, the ball soaring into the second deck beyond right field. The homer extended the Phillies’ lead to 6-4. Hammel gave up another run in the eighth. Hammel, acquired from Tampa Bay in a trade last week, barely escaped the sixth unscathed. He gave up a single and loaded the bases with consecutive walks. Then Chase Utley banged a grounder off Hammel’s leg, but Hammel scrambled to throw out Utley at first base.
Power surge.
The Rockies have hit a home run in all five games this season. They banged out three Saturday at Coors Field, beginning with Troy Tulowitzki’s two-run shot in the second, followed by a solo homer from Garrett Atkins in the fourth and a solo shot from Clint Barmes in the fifth. The last time the Rockies started the season with such a home run avalanche was in 2004, when they homered in six straight games to start the season. The club record for consecutive games with a home run to start the season is 12 (1997).
Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
