PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Back in a huge hole, the Philadelphia Phillies don’t have a month to pull off another comeback.
And unless they start hitting soon, the next time they put on white uniforms will be in Clearwater next spring.
The latest flop, a 10-5 loss Thursday to the Colorado Rockies, put them in a 2-0 hole in the best-of-five series.
Sure, both Kyles – Kendrick and Lohse – stunk up the mound. But it didn’t make much a difference. The Phillies, the NL’s highest-scoring team, are batting just .203 after two games. Jimmy Rollins, who drove in four runs, is about the only Philadelphia player to pull his load.
The Phillies look nothing like the team that used sharp pitching and booming bats in a September surge that returned them to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
No team had more comeback wins this year than Philadelphia (48). The Phillies overcame a seven-game deficit in September to overtake the New York Mets and win the NL East. But unlike the Mets – who just needed to be tipped over – Colorado has won 16 of 17 overall heading into Game 3 at Coors Field on Saturday night.
This looks like April’s 4-11 start all over again.
All-Star second baseman Chase Utley is 2-for-9 with five strikeouts. Ryan Howard homered in Game 2 but was embarrassingly picked off first base. Pat Burrell is 2-for-7.
Still, the Phillies had their chances.
Carlos Ruiz batted with the bases loaded in the eighth and Philadelphia down five runs.
No big hit here. Just a meek inning-ending grounder to third off Manny Corpas.
And in the ninth, Howard came up with runners on first and second and two out.
Not even a mighty swing from the mightiest of Phillies. He took a called third strike, perhaps the last pitch thrown at Citizens Bank Park this year.
Kendrick, a rookie who was 4-7 at Double-A Reading when he was promoted in June, allowed consecutive first-inning homers to Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday for a 2-0 hole.
Rollins’ homer in the bottom half and two-run triple in the second but the Phillies ahead, but Kendrick was pulled with the bases loaded in the fourth.
In came Lohse.
Out went Kaz Matsui’s grand slam.
The season’s not over yet, but the end is in sight.
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