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Rollins, Eaton help Phillies avoid sweep

Jul 9, 2007 - 12:11 AM DENVER (Ticker) -- Jimmy Rollins and Adam Eaton helped the Philadelphia Phillies avoid their 10,000th all-time loss and head into the All-Star break with a .500 record.

Rollins drove in the game-tying and go-ahead runs and had three hits while Eaton won his first game since June 11 as the Phillies avoided a three-game sweep with an 8-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.

Eaton (8-5) went six innings and allowed four runs, six hits and one walks with three strikeouts. After allowing four runs in the first four innings - including two home runs - Eaton settled down and didn't allow a hit his final three innings.

After falling behind, 3-0, in the first two innings, Philadelphia scored five times from the third through the sixth innings to chase Rockies starter Aaron Cook (5-6) and win for just the third time in its last 10 games.

"I felt good, it was kind of a Colorado-type game," Eaton said. "The last two nights we got ahead 3-0 and we let them get ahead 3-0 today and came back and won. I was happy to go six innings after the first three innings."

"He got off slow, but did a good job of pitching," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He did a hell of a job staying and battling. It was a good day for him."

Eaton started the comeback for the Phillies with a one-out single in the third. Following a single by Rollins and a fielder's choice that moved him to third, Chase Utley singled to cut Colorado's lead to 3-1.

"Eaton's a pretty good hitter, he can do some things," Manuel said.

With the Phillies down a run in the fourth, Eaton sacrificed Rod Barajas to second base with one out. Rollins came through with his first RBI single that tied the game at 4-4.

Eaton again helped his cause in the sixth. After Barajas hit a two-out single, Eaton kept the rally going with a single to center that gave the Phillies runners on first and second with two outs and another chance for Rollins.

"He just left that ball up there and I found a gap," Eaton said.

Rollins was in the hole early with an 0-2 count and fouled off three pitches before drawing three straight balls for a 3-2 count. He lined the next pitch into center field for his second bloop RBI single.

"It was nice, no other way to put it," Rollins said. "We're going into the break at .500. It isn't great but it's better than being under."

Cook tied his career high by allowing 12 base hits.

"He had way too many pitches up in the zone, especially with two outs," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "He's creating a lot of situations that you don't want to pitch into."

Kazuo Matsui got the scoring started for the Rockies when he belted his third home run of the season in the top of the first. The Rockies increased the lead to 3-0 in the second on a RBI singles from Troy Tulowitzki and Cory Sullivan before the Phillies began their comeback.

A 50-minute rain delay interrupted the game after the sixth, and the Phillies helped the groundscrew place the tarp on the field after a strong wind made things difficult. Two Rockies groundscrew members got trapped under the weight of the tarp.

"I think everybody went out there to try to lend a hand, not do anything out of control - just to try to help them get the tarp off those guys," Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard said.