After a slow start, the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies are starting to play more fundamental baseball.
The Phillies, who just completed a seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record, return home to begin a four-game series against the struggling Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
Philadelphia took two of three to open the week against the Chicago White Sox. Trea Turner homered among his three hits, Brandon Marsh also hit a homer and the Phillies won 5-2 on Wednesday.
“I feel like we’ve given some games away,” Turner said in a postgame interview on NBC Sports Philadelphia. “This was a good series win.”
Turner, who signed an 11-year, $300 million deal with Philadelphia in the offseason, finally hit his first home run in a Phillies uniform on Wednesday. He also singled, doubled, stole a base, scored two runs and drove in two.
“He just gets on base,” manager Rob Thomson said. “When him and (Bryson) Stott get on base, we’ll score.”
Marsh, acquired from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline last season, continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-4 effort. He ended the game with a .368 average.
More than statistics, Marsh is concerned with victories.
“It’s always good winning the series,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep it going at home.”
The Phillies will hand the ball to Matt Strahm (1-1, 2.13 ERA) on Thursday. The left-hander struggled in his latest outing and didn’t survive the third inning in a 13-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. He was tagged for three runs on two hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.
Strahm is 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA in 13 career games (two starts) against the Rockies.
Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa, who hasn’t played since Saturday because of a back ailment, is questionable for the Thursday game. Thomson said that Sosa would have been available Wednesday in an emergency situation.
The Rockies will look to snap a maddening eight-game losing streak, highlighted by a 14-3 drubbing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday in Denver.
Colorado dropped two straight to the St. Louis Cardinals and then were swept in consecutive three-game series by the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh. The Pirates outscored the Rockies 33-9 in just-concluded set.
At 5-14, the Rockies are off to the worst start in franchise history. In addition, they share the NL lead with 14 errors.
After Colorado starter Austin Gomber was tagged for nine runs in the first two innings on Wednesday, four relievers covered the remaining seven innings.
“The bullpen, they hung in there,” Colorado manager Bud Black said postgame. “They gave us what we needed today. … We’re going to have to look at it tomorrow to see what we have (available) in Philadelphia. But starting pitching … is something that’s needed on an every-night basis.”
Ryan McMahon, who had three of Colorado’s five hits on Wednesday, started at third base for the second day in a row. His previous 16 starts this year came at second base after he was primarily a third baseman the past two seasons.
“It’s just showing a lot of flexibility,” McMahon said. “It’s definitely easier going back to third. There’s so much more to do at second, plus at third I worked there the whole offseason.”
Ryan Feltner (0-2, 8.78 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Rockies on Thursday. In his career against the Phillies, the right-hander is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in two starts.
Rockies right-hander reliever Daniel Bard was activated from the injury list on Wednesday after dealing with anxiety issues. Right-hander Peter Lambert was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. Bard is considered to be the closer, but the Rockies haven’t needed one through their skid.
Bard threw a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday.
“The last two weeks have been really positive for Daniel,” Black said. “We’re hoping that he can help, and he will.”
–Field Level Media
