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Phils open trip in Colorado

Aug 1, 2011 - 2:40 PM (Sports Network) - Philadelphia acquired right-hander Hunter Pence to bring balance to its lineup. The move has already paid off for those hitting around the outfielder.

Pence and the Phillies next head out west for 10 straight games, beginning with tonight's opener of a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

In a lineup that was loaded with talented lefties, the Phillies grabbed Pence from the Astros on Friday night to add some parity to the order. Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel has slotted Pence fifth in the batting order over his first two games between a pair of left-handed sluggers in cleanup hitter Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez.

With Pence behind him on Saturday, Howard went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and three RBI in a 7-4 victory over the Pirates and it was Ibanez's turn to shine on Sunday.

The left fielder notched his first multi-homer game since Sept. 8, 2009 and then drove in Pence with the winning run in the 10th inning for a 6-5 victory and three-game sweep of Pittsburgh. Pence had notched a one-out double to set up Ibanez's heroics.

"I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and hit it hard," recalled Ibanez. "It was a good game. No one was giving in. Everyone continued to battle."

The sweep came on the heels of back-to-back losses to the Giants and gave the Phillies wins in nine of their last 12 games. It also upped their lead over the Braves for first place in the National League East to six games.

Going to the hill for the opener of this road trip will be Cole Hamels, who is looking to join teammate Roy Halladay as the only 13-game winners in the NL.

Hamels is 12-6 with a 2.61 earned run average in 22 starts and hasn't won 13 games in a season since his 14-win campaign in 2008. The southpaw has turned in two straight quality outings since getting blasted by the Mets in one of his worst outings of 2011 on July 16.

Six days after that loss, Hamels held the Padres to a run on three hits with 10 strikeouts over eight innings of a 3-1 win. The 27-year-old then limited the Giants to a pair of runs over 7 2/3 innings on Wednesday, but suffered a 2-1 loss.

Hamels has split a pair of meetings with the Rockies, beating them in Philadelphia on May 18 behind eight innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts. That victory ran Philadelphia's series winning streak six straight games, but the Rockies salvaged a split of that two-game series behind Jhoulys Chacin the following day and he'll oppose Hamels tonight.

Chacin turned in a similar outing to Hamels on May 19, lasting seven innings and allowing a run while striking out nine in his second career start against Philadelphia.

Colorado would love for that Chacin to show up tonight as the right-hander is 0-4 over his past seven starts and hasn't won since June 15. He did pitch well in his last outing on Tuesday versus the Dodgers, giving up three runs -- one earned -- on three hits over six innings, but suffered a 3-2 setback.

The 23-year-old has allowed five runs each in a pair of no-decisions before that tough-luck defeat and is 8-8 with a 3.50 EA in 21 starts this season.

Chacin is part of a rotation that is now without former All-Star Ubaldo Jimenez, who was officially dealt to the Indians on Sunday for four prospects, including three pitchers. Without their former ace, the Rockies had a three- game winning streak snapped with an 8-3 setback to the Padres on Sunday.

Colorado was in position for the sweep before San Diego posted a six-run eighth inning to run away with things. Rockies reliever Rex Brothers was charged with the loss as he was unable to record an out in the inning while getting charged with three runs.

"That first guy, I had him 0-2 and didn't execute a pitch from then on out," Brothers said of his rough outing. "I didn't hold up my end of the deal today."

Troy Tulowitzki went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for Colorado.