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Rockies use long ball to topple Phillies

Sep 12, 2007 - 4:54 AM By Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Colorado Rockies played long ball at Citizens Bank Park.

Matt Holliday hit two homers and drove in three runs while Troy Tulowitzki and Todd Helton added solo shots as the Rockies defeated the Philadelphia Phillies, 8-2, on Tuesday in a battle between National League wild card contenders.

The win pulled the Rockies (75-69) within three games of the San Diego Padres (77-65) in the NL wild card race. The Phillies (76-68) dropped two behind San Diego, pending the outcome of the game between San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I think the rest of the season, every game we play is very important," Holliday said. "There's so many teams that are right there for the wild card that if we don't win consistently, it will be very difficult for us."

Franklin Morales (1-2) earned his first major-league win. The 21-year-old went five innings and allowed only three hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Tulowitzki gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in the first inning with his 21st home run of the season. He lined a 1-0 pitch from Phillies starter Adam Eaton just over the fence in left field.

"Tulo set the tone for us and we came out and swung the bats like we're capable of," Helton said.

Helton led off the fourth with his 13th homer after driving a 2-1 pitch into the second deck down the right field line to make it, 2-0.

"(Helton) is a great player," Holliday said. "The stats prove it. Watching him play day in and day out proves it."

Bad baserunning prevented Philadelphia from getting on the board in the fourth. Pat Burrell led off with a double, but one out later, made an ill-advised attempt to advance to third on Aaron Rowand's grounder to short and was thrown out.

Jayson Werth followed with a single before Morales struck out Wes Helms swinging to end the inning.

"The fourth inning was a test for (Morales), but he answered," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "One thing we found out about him is he's a fierce competitor. He likes to play the game."

Colorado broke the game open with four runs in the sixth inning to take a 6-0 lead. Tulowitzki walked to start the frame before Holliday hit a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence for a home run that made it 4-0.

"(The pitch) was just a 1-0 fastball, a little bit out over the plate," Holliday said.

Kane Davis replaced Eaton and surrendered singles to three of the next four batters, culminated by a RBI single by Yorvit Torrealba. Later in the inning, pinch hitter Joe Koshansky hit a sacrifice fly off Geoff Geary to make it, 6-0.

"We have such a good offense that we're not necessarily counting on one or two guys," Holliday said. "We got six, seven or eight guys that can hurt you at any time."

Eaton (9-9) went five-plus innings and allowed four runs on six hits, including three home runs.

"The three home runs did (Eaton) in," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "They kept adding on."

The righthander hasn't recorded a victory in his last seven starts, dating to July 20.

"When I was winning, I was pitching a little bit better," Eaton said. "Now, it seems like I can't get over that hump."

Garrett Atkins' RBI double upped the Rockies advantage to 7-0 in the seventh inning.

Jimmy Rollins got the Phillies on the board when he led off the eighth with his 27th home run of the season. Clint Barnes' throwing error scored an unearned run to make it 7-2.

Holliday led off the ninth inning by hitting Fabio Castro's first pitch down the left field line for his second homer of the game and 29th of the season to make it 8-2.

For Holliday, it was his eighth career multi-homer game.