Phillies beat Rockies 6-0, close out homestand 4-2
The Phillies closed out a 4-2 homestand with a 6-0 win over the Rockies on Mother’s Day in front of a packed house at Citizens Bank Park. They’re 10-3 under Don Mattingly, have won every series since the managerial change, and head into Monday’s off day at 19-22.
The 13-day stretch without a scheduled off day started on April 28th when Thomson was fired after the 9-19 start. In that span, the starting pitching went from the worst in baseball to one of the best. Whether that holds up when the schedule toughens in the second half of May is the question that matters. For now, four straight series wins is a good place to be.
Cristopher Sanchez ends the homestand with two gems.
Tuesday night against the Athletics he went eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Sunday against the Rockies he threw seven more shutout innings with seven strikeouts and zero walks. That’s 15 scoreless innings, 17 strikeouts, and one walk across two starts.
On 103 pitches Sunday, Sanchez threw 46 changeups that generated 13 swings and misses. After getting tagged for 12 hits and six runs at Wrigley on April 23rd, he’s allowed just two runs in 21 2/3 innings over his last three starts.
All three were Phillies wins. He’s held opposing teams to two or fewer earned runs in his last 20 starts at home. When Sanchez takes the mound right now, the Phillies are in good hands.
Schwarber Homered Twice and Leads the Majors
Kyle Schwarber went deep twice Sunday, including his MLB-leading 16th homer of the season. He’s homered in four straight games. He and Harper hit back-to-back homers in the first inning to set the tone early against Colorado starter Tomoyuki Sugano.
Schwarber’s second homer in the second inning made it 5-0 before Sanchez even had to work. The Phillies bruised Sugano for five runs in the first two innings and the game was never competitive after that.
Marsh Had Four Hits
Brandon Marsh collected four hits Sunday and continues to be one of the most consistent bats in the lineup. He’s been swinging the bat well for weeks now and the production has been steady regardless of the matchup. Four hits on Mother’s Day in a packed ballpark is a nice afternoon.
The Homestand Numbers
The Phillies hit .304 on the six-game homestand, scored 38 runs, and homered 13 times. The pitching was strong outside of the Painter and Luzardo blowups on Thursday and Friday. The offense produced when it needed to. Four wins in six games against the Athletics and Rockies is taking care of business against teams you’re supposed to beat.
Ship It Up To Boston
The Phillies visit Boston for three games starting Tuesday after Monday’s off day. The schedule gets harder from here. The A’s and Rockies aren’t going to be on the schedule every week and the Phillies need to prove they can sustain this level of play against better competition.
The pitching has been legitimately good under Mattingly. The offense has shown signs of breaking out. The question is whether all of it holds up when the opponents improve.
19-22. A lot of season left. Keep stacking days.
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