DENVER -- The Phillies' four-game winning streak came crashing down when home run-prone Adam Morgan gave three homers that accounted for five of the six runs he allowed in five innings. Morgan's start was too much to overcome, and the Rockies, aided by a five-run seventh inning, trampled the Phillies, 11-2, Thursday night at Coors Field.
The 11 runs were the most the Phillies have allowed since June 21 when they lost, 14-11, at Minnesota. Morgan's six runs allowed were the most allowed by a Phillies starter since that game against the Twins, when Aaron Nola yielded eight runs (seven earned) in three innings.
Ryan Howard hit a solo homer in the second and singled home a run in the fourth. The latter hit cut the Rockies' lead to 5-2, but starter Chad Bettis kept any rally from brewing by getting Freddy Galvis to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Bettis left after 6⅔ innings with runners on first and second. Left-hander Boone Logan relieved him and struck out Odubel Herrera to end that threat and keep the score 6-2. The Rockies turned it into a rout when they scored five runs in the seventh.
Starting pitching report
Morgan, starting in place of Nola, was hit hard from the outset and optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley after the game. The Phillies' only solace was that Morgan at least managed to work five innings, so the Phillies didn't have to go to their bullpen excessively early and really strain it in the opener of a four-game series at hitter-friendly Coors Field.
Morgan gave up nine hits, five for extra bases, and six runs. He yielded solo homers to Mark Reynolds in the second and Trevor Story in the third and surrendered a three-run shot to Story in the fifth that gave the Rockies a 5-1 lead. Morgan has allowed 16 homers this season in 66⅓ innings.
MLB
Morgan (1-7, 6.65) is 0-7 over his past nine starts. It's the longest losing streak by a Phillies starter since Aaron Harang's eight-game losing streak last year.
The Rockies blew the game open in the seventh when they batted around and scored five runs against Edubray Ramos, who made his eighth career appearance. The big hit was Reynolds' three-run double.
Bullpen report
David Hernandez pitched a perfect sixth, but Ramos was roughed up in the seventh when he retired one of the six batters he faced and gave up four hits and a walk.
Ramos gave up a leadoff single to Charlie Blackmon, who stole second and scored when D.J. LeMahieu rifled an opposite-field single past first. Ramos struck out Nolan Arenado, but gave up an infield single to Carlos Gonzalez and walked Story to load the bases for Reynolds, who cleared them with his double.
Brett Oberholtzer came on, retired the first batter he faced but gave up a single to Brandon Barnes that scored Reynolds.
At the plate
Howard's homer in the second was the 370th of his career, tying him for 78th all-time with Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner and former Rockies great Todd Helton. The homer was Howard's 10th in 34 games at Coors Field.
Maikel Franco failed to homer for the fifth straight game. But he doubled and scored in the fourth and singled in the sixth.
In the field
Shortstop Galvis made a leaping catch on Blackmon's leadoff line drive in the first that was headed toward the gap in left-center.
LeMahieu took a hit away from Cesar Hernandez to open the fifth. LeMahieu went to his right and to his knees to make a backhanded grab of Hernandez's hard grounder on a short hop.
Shifted into short right field, LeMahieu dashed to his left and made a sliding stop of Howard's hard-hit ball.
Pitching plans
Nola will throw a two-inning simulated game Saturday so he doesn't go two weeks without facing hitters. He was scratched from his scheduled start Thursday to give him a breather before the All-Star break.
Nola is 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his past five starts. In his last start Saturday against Kansas City, he gave up five runs in the second but retired the final 10 Royals batters he faced with six strikeouts.
Coming back
Manager Pete Mackanin said reliever Andrew Bailey (left hamstring strain) will be activated Saturday, when he is eligible to come off the disabled list.
Long layoff
Left-hander Daniel Stumpf is expected to be activated Sunday after the conclusion of his 80-game suspension. He tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug that was popular with East German athletes in the 1960s.
Mackanin said he doesn't think the players “are going to be standoffish to him. He said he didn't know he was taking anything. So you got to give him the benefit of the doubt. It's not like he knew that he was cheating on purpose and it's not like we lose one of our best players in the middle of a playoff run in August or September. Then you got a right to be [ticked] off at the guy. But I don't see any issues there. Maybe I'm wrong.”
The Phillies selected Stumpf from the Royals in the Rule 5 draft in December. Asked whether he feels for the player who will lose his roster spot to Stumpf, Mackanin said, “Once again, I have to assume that he didn't know anything. If I knew for a fact that he consciously did that … I wouldn't be happy with it. But I give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Up next
Vince Velasquez (7-2, 3.34) will make his third start since coming off the disabled list June 27 on Friday night against Colorado. He's 2-0, 1.64 in that span with two walks and 14 strikeouts in 11 innings.