Kyle Schwarber, Edmundo Sosa propel Phillies past Rockies with clutch hits

Clutch hits from Schwarber, Sosa propel Phillies past Rockies originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Coming into the four-game series against the Rockies that continued Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, Phillies fans could have been forgiven for getting a little greedy.

After a slow start to the season, their Fightins were coming off a winning road trip to Cincinnati and Chicago. Better yet, the scheduling gods were offering up a last-place team in the throes of an eight-game losing streak. Visions of red pinstripes racing around the bases, the ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong of the home run bell and repeated renditions of “High Hopes” danced like sugar plums in their heads.

By the time the sellout crowd of 43,261 filed out of The Bank Friday night, though, everybody seemed pretty content to just accept a hard-fought, come-from-behind 4-3 win.

Edmundo Sosa’s two-out single drove J.T. Realmuto home from third in the bottom of the eighth, finally settling the issue.

But until Kyle Schwarber’s line-drive homer in the seventh tied the score, this game was setting up to be a disheartening reprise of Thursday night’s 5-0 loss that began with starter Matt Strahm giving up a two-run homer in the first. Though he pitched well after that, the Phils could never overcome that early deficit.

Friday night it was Aaron Nola who, incredibly, became the fourth straight Phillies start to give up a first-inning homer, all with at least one on. This time it was a three-run shot off the bat of third baseman Ryan McMahon.

After that, though, the Phillies Opening Day starter strung together six consecutive shutout innings, allowing just one more hit. And this time the Phillies were able to come back.

“I thought he was great all night,” said manager Rob Thomson. “His curveball was better. He got ahead of hitters. He showed a lot of poise and toughness by just shutting them down after that.”

Said Nola: “I felt good the first inning. McMahon put a pretty good swing on a fastball when I was behind in the count (2-1) but I just tried to wipe that as best as I could and just stick with my plan. Everything felt pretty good for the most part. I want to go deep in the game and sometimes that happens in the first inning. It kind of stinks, but you just have to overcome it and stick with the plan.”

He added that his curve was working better than it had been earlier in the year. “Arm speed and throwing it with good conviction,” he explained. “In and out of the zone when I needed to. Not trying to make it nasty, if that makes sense.”

The Phillies snapped a 17-inning scoreless streak when they scored twice in the fourth despite managing to hit two balls out of the infield against Rockies starter Noah Davis.

They loaded the bases with nobody out after Nick Castellanos reached on a fielding error by third baseman Ryan McMahon, Brandon Marsh lined a clean single to right and Realmuto was hit by a pitch. At least, home plate umpire Alex Tosi ruled that the ball brushed his jersey. Rockies manager Bud Black came out and argued long and strenuously enough to get himself ejected.

After Alec Bohm lined out to second, Davis balked while pitching to Jake Cave, allowing Castellanos to trot home and the other runners to advance. Cave then tapped a ball so slowly toward third that McMahon had no play on, bringing Marsh home.

The inning ended when Sosa, who was back in the lineup for the first time since leaving last Saturday's game with lower back discomfort, flied out deep to center and Bryson Stott struck out.

Stott was 0-for-4 with a walk in the game. It was just the second time this season he’s been held without a hit.

The turning point, though, may well have been Schwarber’s fifth homer of the season. It was a line drive, low and hot, into the right-center field seats off reliever Dinelson Lamet. Not all home runs are created equal and it was the first time in the game that the Phillies' offense really made itself felt.

“Any time you’re able to tie the game up, get momentum on our side, that’s always a plus," Schwarber said. "Those are the ones you look forward to.”

Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez will make his first start of the season Saturday afternoon against Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland (2-1, 3.80). The Phillies needed a sixth starter after rain in Chicago forced a doubleheader against the White Sox on Tuesday. The 26-year-old Sanchez opened the season on the injured list with a strained left triceps. In two rehab starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he has a 1.04 earned run average but no decisions. In 8 2/3 innings he’s allowed three hits while striking out 11. He hasn’t issued a walk but has hit two batters.

The Phillies will announce a roster move in order to activate Sanchez before Saturday’s game. Unless they place somebody on the injured list, the most likely candidate to be sent down is right-hander Luis Ortiz, the only pitcher on the active roster with options remaining.

It will be right-hander Zack Wheeler (1-1, 4.79) against right-hander Jose Urena (0-3, 9.82) in Sunday’s series finale.