They played out a classic fish story at rainy, chilly Coors Field on Sunday afternoon: The Rockies let the big one get away.
After mounting leads of 4-0 and 5-1, the Rockies wasted a fine performance from starter Aaron Cook and lost 7-5 to the Phillies. The back end of the Rockies’ bullpen, touted as the team’s strength, was the weak link Sunday.
The Phillies won the game in the ninth on a two-run, one-out home run to right-center by pinch-hitter Matt Stairs. It came off new Rockies closer Huston Street. Stairs clubbed a fastball left over the heart of the plate for the 15th pinch-hit homer of his career.
The Rockies dropped to 3-3 and now go to Chicago for Monday’s game with the Cubs.
Sunday’s loss is going to sting for quite a while, because the Rockies seemingly followed a victory blueprint to perfection. They got six strong innings from Cook and led 5-3 entering the eighth when setup man Manuel Corpas took over.
The Phillies wasted no time roughing up Corpas. Victorino smashed a hard single up the middle, setting the table for Chase Utley’s game-tying two-run homer to right.
Aaron Cook rebounded from his 2-1/3-inning opening-day meltdown. He pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven scattered hits. He used his sinker to induce critical inning-ending double plays in the fourth and sixth.
The Rockies backed Cook up with maximum force in the first inning, scoring four runs on five hits against erratic Philadelphia starter Chan Ho Park. Brad Hawpe hit a run-scoring single, then Atkins scored Hawpe with an opposite-field single. Clint Barmes’ two-run single through the left side put the Rockies ahead 4-0.
Philadelphia scratched a run off Cook in the second, combining a double by Ryan Howard with a double by Raul Ibanez that ricocheted off Cook’s backside and into left field. Cook took a moment to gather himself and assess the damage before continuing on.
Rookie center fielder Dexter Fowler continued his joyous big-league adventure with a solo homer to left in the second inning. It was Fowler’s second homer and after going 2-for-5 he’s hitting .385.
But Colorado couldn’t mount any offense after Fowler’s homer, making for tense, and ultimately failing cleanup work by the Rockies’ bullpen.
In the ninth, Philly closer Brad Lidge, the Cherry Creek High School graduate, gave up a two-out pinch-hit single to Jeff Baker and walked Ian Stewart. The stage was set for heroics from Troy Tulowitzki, but he grounded out to second to end the game.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
