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Utley keys Phillies' rout of Rockies

May 27, 2008 - 4:54 AM by Vince DiGregorio PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia Phillies' offense did not let up against an injury-depleted lineup.

Chase Utley hit a home run and had a career-high six RBI and Chris Coste added a home run and four RBI as the Phillies spotted the Colorado Rockies an early lead before erupting for a 20-5 victory on Monday in the opener of a three-game series.

Philadelphia broke open a tie game with a pair of six-run innings, sending 11 batters to the plate in each frame against the Rockies, who were missing four regulars from their starting lineup due to injury - Troy Tulowitzki, Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe and Clint Barmes.

"Some of their big boys are out of the lineup, so we have to try to take advantage of that," Utley said.

"We're a no-excuse ballclub, you've got to play the games," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "We've got to find ways to pitch better. We might have to scratch to get some runs, but we've got find a way to get things done."

Jamie Moyer (5-3) was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion. The 45-year-old went seven innings and allowed four runs on six hits with one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts. The lefthander won his first career game against Colorado, the only team he had not defeated in his career.

"Pitching here is like pitching (at Coors Field) in Colorado," Moyer said. "The dimensions are what they are here. It's trying to stay away from crooked numbers."

Despite pitching with a big lead, Moyer maintained his concentration and retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced.

"My goal, when we score, is to try to put a zero behind that to make (the lead) stand up even more and try to keep the momentum of the game," Moyer said.

The game was tied, 4-4, in the fourth inning when the Phillies got to Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (1-3) for three straight doubles to start the frame - with Pedro Feliz, Coste and So Taguchi accounting for the hits - with the last two of them plating a run to give Philadelphia the lead for good.

"The first four innings were pretty tight," Coste said. "It could have gone either way. Then all of a sudden, we broke it up with a six-run fourth and, after that, it was just kind of a blur."

Jimmy Rollins and Utley each added RBI before Feliz capped the frame with a two-run single that made it 10-4.

Philadelphia scored six more times in the sixth off reliever Josh Newman. Coste blasted a three-run homer, Utley had a RBI single and Ryan Howard delivered a two-run single that increased the margin to 16-4.

Utley added a run-scoring single during a four-run eighth for a 20-4 bulge before Cory Sullivan singled home Omar Quintanilla to plate the game's final run in the top of the ninth for Colorado.

"We should probably save some (runs) for later on this week," Utley said. "One through nine, we've been swing the bats well. It's a good feeling. We found a lot of holes out there tonight. Hopefully, we didn't use them all up."

The season-high 20 runs came one day after Philadelphia posted a then-season-high run total in a 15-6 rout of the Houston Astros.

"It's a lot of fun," Howard said. "You go out there and you put up 20 runs, that's one of those games where everybody's kind of fighting to get to the bat rack. It's always a good sign to show what we are capable of. It is a dangerous lineup when all cylinders are go. There's no telling what can happen."

"You sit there and watch it and you kind of enjoy it," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "We scored some runs (on Sunday) and came back today to score some runs. That's a sign of getting hot."

The teams traded three-run homers in the first inning. Ryan Spilborghs homered to give the Rockies a 3-0 lead. However, De La Rosa walked the first two batters he faced before Utley hit a 2-2 pitch into the right-center field seats for his 16th home run to tie it.

"Anytime you're down two or three runs early in the game, you want to least put a run back on the board," Utley said. "We do have confidence in our lineup. Anytime you (trail) early in the game, it's not that big of a deal for us."

"It's disappointing that you have a 3-0 lead and you're not able to have a shut-down inning," Hurdle said.

The teams then exchanged sacrifice flies in the third. Jeff Baker gave Colorado a 4-3 lead before Howard retied the game after an error by Jonathan Herrera led to an unearned run.

De La Rosa went 3 1/3 innings and surrendered seven runs - six earned - on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.