Phillies storm back to force extras, but lose 9-7 to the Rockies in the 11th inning
The Phillies overcame a six-run deficit, capped by a Justin Crawford two-run home run to tie things up at 7 after a disastrous outing for starter Jesús Luzardo.
The game, at one point, felt so out of reach that the Phillies used their closer in the eighth inning to get some work.
But down to their final six outs, a five-run rally against the Rockies capped with Justin Crawford’s first-career major league home run, brought the Phillies all the way back into a game they had trailed 6-0 in the fourth inning.
Crawford’s two-run shot tied the game in the eighth, but the Phillies weren’t able to finish off Colorado and they fell, 9-7, in extra innings.
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They had the opportunity to walk the Rockies off in the ninth and 10th, but the offense came up empty each time. Colorado pulled back ahead with two runs on three hits against Brad Keller in the 11th. Bryce Harper came up to the plate with two on and two outs and in the bottom of the inning, but he grounded out to end it.
The big eighth inning helped the Phillies claw back from a disastrous outing for starter Jesús Luzardo after the lefty unraveled in the fourth inning. All seven batters he faced in the inning reached base, and five of them came around to score.
By the time he was lifted — still with no outs in the fourth — Luzardo’s pitch count was up to 95 and the Phillies trailed 6-0. A day after an early collapse from Andrew Painter forced the Phillies to use three relievers plus Garrett Stubbs, they turned to their bullpen early once again.
The Phillies offense, which didn’t have a hit against Rockies starter Chase Dollander until the fourth, got two runs back in the sixth. Kyle Schwarber hit a towering solo home run to start it off. Brandon Marsh was safe on a fielder’s choice and was driven home by a double that J.T. Realmuto hit off the wall in right field.
The Rockies responded right away with a homer off Tim Mayza in the seventh.
Harper started the eighth-inning rally with a single. Adolis García worked a walk, Marsh connected on a two-run single to extend his hit streak to 10 straight games, and Bryson Stott split the outfielders for a two-run double. That brought Crawford up to the plate representing the tying run, and he delivered with a two-run shot to the right field seats.
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The Phillies had already used Jhoan Duran in the eighth to get some work after he was activated from the injured list earlier this week, so they brought in José Alvarado for the ninth. He hit Brett Sullivan with a pitch to put the go-ahead run on for the Rockies, but he bounced back with a big strikeout of Tyler Freeman to preserve the tie.
Orion Kerkering stranded two runners in the 10th, but the Phillies weren’t able to advance the ghost-runner.