Phils score 20 in win over Rockies

Where was this in October?

You remember October, right? The Phillies roared into the playoffs like a lion and exited like a lamb. They lost three straight ball games to the Colorado Rockies and hit just .172 in the process.

Last night, with the stakes admittedly much lower, the Phillies exorcised a few demons against the Rockies in a blitzkrieg, 20-5 holiday victory at Citizens Bank Park.

That's right, 20-5.

It was the most runs scored in one game by a big-league team this season, and the most scored by a Phils club since July 3, 1999, in a 21-8 win over the Chicago Cubs.

It was 80 degrees at first pitch, and the Phils' offense has warmed with the weather. They have scored 35 runs in the last two games - the last time they did that was July 2-3, 1999 - and 54 in their last four wins.

"It's a lot of fun to put up 20 runs in one game," said Ryan Howard, who drove in three and scored three. "It was like everyone was fighting to get to the bat rack.

"This is a dangerous lineup. When all cylinders are a go, there's no telling what can happen. And I don't feel we're all the way there yet."

The Rockies were without four key regulars, Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe, who are all on the disabled list, and Garrett Atkins, who missed the game with a stiff neck.

Nonetheless, this was a good way for the Phillies to open a 10-game homestand, and the 10th sellout crowd of the season enjoyed every minute of the rout, not to mention the hot dogs on ever-popular Dollar Dog Night.

The 20 runs were more than twice the eight runs the Phils scored against Colorado in three games in the division series. The Phils' 19 hits were three more than the 16 they had against the Rockies in the division series.

The hitting stars included:

Chase Utley with three hits, including his 16th homer, and a career-high six RBIs.

Pedro Feliz and Chris Coste, who combined for seven hits and eight RBIs, and were pivotal in igniting a six-run fourth.

So Taguchi, getting a rare start, with three hits.

The Phils batted around twice and had two six-run innings.

"This game was mostly about our hitting," understated manager Charlie Manuel. "But we have to keep it in perspective. We can celebrate it now, but when we leave, it's over and we have to think about [tonight's] game."

The beneficiary of the offensive explosion was - you guessed it - Jamie Moyer, who beat the Rockies for the first time in his career.

The 45-year-old Moyer, the oldest player in major-league knickers, has now beaten all 30 teams in the majors. He is the sixth pitcher to do so, joining Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Terry Mulholland, Woody Williams and Curt Schilling.

His reaction? "I guess I've been around a long time."

Moyer is now 5-3 and 235-181 in his career. The Phils have scored 11, 10, 12 and 20 runs, respectively, in his last four wins. If he keeps getting that kind of support, he may pitch until he's 55.

While the final score would suggest that Moyer had an easy night, it was anything but early on. He allowed a three-run homer to Ryan Spilborghs in the first inning. The Phils rebounded in the bottom of the inning as Utley cranked a three-run homer off starter Jorge De Le Rosa to tie the game. Moyer allowed just one run in the rest of his seven-inning stay.

To view a slide show from the game, go to http://go.philly.com/photosEndText