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Halladay, Ibanez lead Phillies over Rockies 6-0

Jul 24, 2010 - 3:21 AM PHILADELPHIA(AP) -- As the Philadelphia Phillies try to solve some surprising problems on offense, their pitching staff is coming on strong.

Roy Halladay cruised through eight innings, Raul Ibanez drove in three runs with three hits and Philadelphia beat the Colorado Rockies 6-0 on Friday night for its second consecutive shutout.

"You feel good when you get five runs and Roy is on the mound," Ibanez said. "It was a nice boost for our club."

Halladay (11-8) allowed five hits and a walk while striking out nine on a 92-degree evening at Citizens Bank Park. The right-hander threw 116 pitches in his first win since July 5 against Atlanta.

"He was hitting his spots and he doesn't give in," Colorado first baseman Jason Giambi said. "He changes speed and location. That's what he does. Tonight, he was on."

Philadelphia pitchers have tossed 20 straight scoreless innings the past two days. Cole Hamels and four relievers allowed one hit Thursday, beating St. Louis 2-0 in 11 innings. The Phillies also posted consecutive shutouts July 10-11 against Cincinnati, winning both games 1-0.

One day after the Phillies fired hitting coach Milt Thompson and replaced him with Greg Gross, manager Charlie Manuel tinkered with his struggling lineup against Rockies starter Aaron Cook (4-6). Manuel benched Shane Victorino, moved Jayson Werth to center field and inserted Ross Gload in right.

Gload had two hits, including a two-run homer that made the score 5-0. He is 7 for 9 in his career against Cook, who fell to 1-6 against Philadelphia.

The Phillies, who returned from a 2-6 road trip, had 12 hits for the second straight day.

After squandering a bases-loaded, one-out chance in the fourth inning, Philadelphia broke loose for five runs in the fifth. Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco opened with singles and scored on Ibanez's double to center. Werth added a sacrifice fly, then Gload hit his fourth homer of the season.

"I don't feel like I was pitching that poorly," Cook said. "They put some good swings on balls."

Halladay took it from there, allowing only one runner to reach third base. J.C. Romero worked a hitless ninth.

"I did a good job of mixing pitches. I threw a lot of everything. A lot of changeups, fastballs to both sides. I really tried to use everything," Halladay said. "I didn't pitch exactly where I wanted, but I think I did a really good job of keeping them off balance."

Though he often dominates on the mound, Halladay has been a tough-luck loser several times this season. He's received 18 total runs of support in his eight losses, but he got five in the fifth inning Friday.

"It's always huge," Halladay said. "That home run was huge. It seems like we get a couple here or there, but not that big hit to put the game away."

Colorado has lost six of eight since the All-Star break.

"Basically, it was Halladay being Halladay," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "He was tremendous tonight. Obviously, it's not the first time he's pitched like that in his career."

NOTES: Halladay has a 25-inning scoreless streak at Citizens Bank Park. ... Victorino, who entered as a defensive replacement, is 1 for 16 against Cook. ... Phillies 1B Ryan Howard stole his first base of the season in the fifth. His previous steal came Sept. 28 against Houston. ... Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki is scheduled to play nine innings Saturday and Sunday for Double-A Tulsa as he continues his rehabilitation from a wrist injury. Tracy said Tulowitzki could be activated as early as Tuesday.