Purple power - Rockies Finish With A Big Series Win

Going into this Rockies-Phillies series, each team had tremendous motivation to win 3 games.  If the Rocks won 3, we'd get to 53 wins.  Since we held the tiebreaker vs the Nats, it would secure us the #2 playoff seed that the bye regardless of how the Nats finished - not to mention putting us out of reach vs the Cards, who held the tiebreaker against us.  The Phillies had just as much urgency.  3 wins and they'd have 47 wins and eliminate the Padres, securing at least the #6 seed.  

And this series certainly had drama.  Let's check the highlights....

GAME 1

Rockies - 2

Phillies - 3

If there was one game I felt the boys in purple would definitely win, it was this one.  Ben Brown was taking to the hill (good) and facing Kyle Harrison (sh-sh-shaky).  So, of course runs would be hard to come by.  The Rocks grabbed a lead in the 3rd with a run on a Lane Tohomas RBI single, but we left the bases loaded.  Another Thomas RBI single in the 5th made it 2-0, but the Phillies scratched out a run in the bottom of the frame on an Encarnacion RBI groundout.  Brown was great, pitching 7 and letting up just 2 runs.  Harrison was good enough, leaving after 5 and letting up just the 2 runs.  The Rockies would strand 6 guys in innings 6-9.  And the bullpen would let us down.  Kopech walked a couple and let up an RBI double by Brandon Marsh.  

Tied 2-2 in the 9th, Joel Payamps got two outs but put two men on.  We brought Alvarado on.  All he needed to do was get Bryson Stott out.  His card is pale versus lefties.  So, of course it's a 5-11 roll, an errant walk on a mostly empty card!  Phillies pinch hit Nick Castellanos...bases loaded.  It's tense.  Stay frosty Jose!  He comes inside on a 2-2 count and HITS Mother F&%*in Castellanos.  Philes win 3-2 on a walkoff...whatever!

WP - Diaz  LP - Payamps  HR - none

GAME 2

Rockies - 6

Phillies - 3

It was close until it wasn't.  Willy Adames lead off the game with a homer off Kyle Gibson.  Then all bats go silent.  Erik Miller and Michael Lorenzen pitch a tandem 5.2 innings of shutdown ball.  Whew.  Rockies add a run with a Luis Garcia solo homer in the 7th, and then run away in the 8th, with a pair of homers off of Brent Suter to add 4 more runs.   At 6-0, we swallowed hard and let Joel Payamps handle the 9th again.  He inherits one runner, immediately let's up a hit, and then allows a 2-out, 3-run tater to Corbin Carroll.  But with 2 outs, we sent out the pitching coach and left him in!  He struck out Harper to end things.  

WP - Lorenzen  LP - Gibson  HR - Adames, Hill, Olson, Garcia, Carroll

GAME 3

Rockies - 6

Phillies - 1

Yu Darvish was acquired to be good some of the time.  This game was one of those times.  He pitched 7, allowing no hits over the first 5 frames, and just 1 run on a couple of hits in the 6th.  By that time the Rocks already had our six runs, capped by a 4-hit, 4-run 6th of our own, capped by a 3-run homer from Joey Ortiz.  Sammy decided to give up late, leaving Mitchell Parker in (he of course allowed no runs while tired), and saving his bullpen to fight out game 88.  It was a good decision.

WP - Darvish  LP - Parker  HR - Kim, Ortiz

GAME 4

Rockies - 6

Phillies - 5  f12

"Fun" fact.  Over those first 3 games, the Phillies never had a lead until the walk-off HBP in game 1.  So they had to feel good when they put up single runs in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th and staked themselves to a 3-0 lead.  The Rocks did score one off Evan Phillips in the 6th, but the Phillies scored right back to go up 4-1.  

Fast forward to the 8th inning...Phillies bring in Orion Kerkering (1/3 of an inning left) to "lock it down."  And...

- Single

- Single

- 3-run Will Smith homer

Game tied 4-4, the Phillies REMOVE Mr. Kerkering (and his remaining 1/3 of an inning), bring in Cruz.  Cruz gets Tatis to fly out, but then Adames rolls the 1-6....crushes a solot homer.  Rockies lead 5-4.  But the 9th turn the tides again.  Joe Jimenez got 3 straight Ks in the 8th, comes back out for the 9th.  And craters!  Harper hits a leadoff double, and would score two batters later on a Jacob Stallings sac fly.  Jimenez stays in tired and escapes, but we're playing some free baseball with a LOT on the line.

Neither team threatens in the 10th or 11th, and the bullpens empty out.  Erik Miller gets game MVP for two perfetc frames in the 10th and 11th.  It's now the 12th, and Joc Pederson is leading off.  He gets a diamond and launches a majestic deep fly into the second deck!  The Rocks do nothing more, and now we choose Jose Alvarado to try to save it.  He does get two outs, but walks 2, and with Jose Altuve up, we go to the LAST GUY...you know it's Joel Payamps!

Aside - Have you ever noticed how it's the guy you don't consider your "high leverage" guy who always seems to end up in every unfortunate high leverage spot?

Sammy makes the smart call to pinch hit with Nimmo.  He works a walk, and the bases are loaded again.  And look who is up...Brandon Marsh!  But Payamps gets him to look silly on some offspeed JUNK, and he whiffs!  The Rockies hang on, and get their biggest W of the year!

WP - Miller  LP - Diaz  SV - Payamps  HR - Pederson, Smith, Adames, Marsh (1st inning leadoff shot!)

And here we are.  Rockies cap a 32-12 second half and finish 53-35, locked in to the #2 seed for the KPSL playoffs.  The Phillies end up 45-43, and now wait.  If the Padres can win 3 tonight, they force a 1-game playoff.  If they work a sweep, the Phils are out.

Rockies fans celebrate a series win against the Phillies and another trip to the KPSL Playoffs.