The Phillies were going for a sweep over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday. But two home runs by Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak and a second straight day of quiet offense from the Phillies allowed the Rockies to avert the sweep as they beat the Phillies 4-1.
Taijuan Walker was looking to rebound after a poor start his last time out, and after quickly retiring the first two batters of the game, it looked like he might. But then Mickey Moniak sent a ball into the right field stands, and after a Hunter
Goodman single, T.J. Rumfield hit a home run of his own to put the Phillies in a 3-0 hole.
The Phillies got one of those runs back in the following inning when Adolis Garcia hit his second home run of the season.
Walker settled down after that and kept the Rockies off the board until the fifth. That’s when the player the Phillies took with the first overall pick of the 2016 draft hit another ball out of the park.
I’d say this was Moniak’s revenge game, but I’m not sure what he’s getting revenge for; Being a massive disappointment, prompting them to trade him for Noah Syndergaard? I guess good for him for establishing himself as a major league player, but this was annoying.
In Coors Field, a three-run deficit shouldn’t be insurmountable, especially since the Phillies’ bullpen chipped in three scoreless innings behind Walker. But since the early explosion on Friday afternoon, the Phillies’ bats have been quiet. The last two days have featured far too many meek at bats, and it seems like the few hard-hit balls have been hit to the wrong part of the park.
The top five of the Phillies’ order went 2-19 against Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano and three relievers, and that’s not good enough, especially in a hitter’s park.
It would have been nice to come away with another win, especially since the Phillies will travel to San Francisco for a three-game series. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2017, and if the bats don’t show more than they did this weekend, that streak is likely to continue for another year.
