Rox flatten Phils on heels of six-run outburst in first

DENVER -- On any day, 18 hits and 10 runs constitute an offensive revival for the Rockies. But on Saturday afternoon it was even more impressive, as it did it without the bats of Troy Tulowitzki and Dexter Fowler in a 10-5 win over the Phillies at Coors Field.

By the end of the first inning, the Rockies had already splattered the box score with seven hits and six runs. The only person missing out on the fun was leadoff hitter Josh Rutledge, responsible for two of the inning's three outs.

The win broke a three-game losing streak for the Rockies, and their 18 hits were the second-most this year. It split the series with Philadelphia and moved Colorado to 7-0 when it scores 10 or more runs.

Jordan Pacheco singled to start the opening inning, and the next five batters combined to hit for the cycle. Tyler Colvin blasted his third home run in seven games, Michael Cuddyer extended his hitting streak to 13 games and Wilin Rosario smacked his first triple of the year -- all before the Phillies could yell mercy and earn a chance to respond.

The Rockies' early offensive outburst was enough to end starter Jonathan Pettibone's afternoon before it really began. The rookie right-hander sailed past his career high of four earned runs by first inning's end, departing after just three frames with 10 hits and six runs to his name.

"My focus was bear down with two outs," said Pettibone, whose ERA climbed from 3.70 to 4.40. "But I didn't really get to two outs that first inning. It just kept escalating from the start. Focus on making that right pitch to eliminate those big innings."

And the fun didn't end there. Despite the offensive fireworks, defense still stole much of the show.

Nolan Arenado made perhaps the best defensive play at Coors Field this year. Arenado, pushed onto the infield grass with Pettibone at the plate, made a spectacular leaping grab off a one-hopper down the third-base line, braced himself for impact, and from the ground fired a perfect across-the-body throw to first to easily beat out Pettibone. No, nothing would come easy for the Phillies Saturday.

"Basically trying to take the bunt away," said Arenado, who finished 3-for-5 with three singles. "I kind of went too far in and the ball was just hit to my left. It wasn't hit too hard. I was able to make a dive and it was just reaction. I got the ball and I just threw it. Just try to get it out of my hand as quickly as I can, and luckily [the first baseman] made a good scoop."

Before the Rockies' offense even had a chance to get rolling, the Phillies threatened in the top of the first. Ryan Howard doubled off the wall in the left-field corner with a run already in. Carlos Gonzalez let it bounce, then set up no more than two steps in front of the wall and launched a ball all the way to home plate. Rosario secured it and dove across the plate to tag out Michael Young and keep the Phillies from taking a 2-0 lead with just one out.

"It was ridiculous," said Arenado, who's defense this year could be defined with the same word. "It's kind of funny because I was watching [the ESPN series] 30 for 30 on Bo Jackson, he made a throw from the wall and CarGo made one just exactly like it."

The fourth inning looked like a mirror image of the first, the lone difference being that reliever Jeremy Horst had replaced Pettibone on the mound. Horst retired his first two batters, only to watch the game tumble from his grasp.

Six batters safely reached base, Rosario, Arenado and starting pitcher Tyler Chatwood driving in three runs to hand the Rockies a 10-2 lead, making it through the entire order in one inning for the second time in the afternoon. It was the rare lead large enough for a sense of security even in hitter-friendly Coors Field with a bullpen that has struggled to get outs.

Chatwood, making his first start in 12 days, lasted five innings, allowing two earned runs, seven hits and three walks. The Rockies allowed him just 84 pitches as a precaution to keep him from aggravating the right triceps injury that forced him to miss his last start.

Chatwood escaped a one-out jam in the fourth with runners on first and second by using a two-seam fastball to force a double play.

"I was a little rusty at the beginning," Chatwood said. "I had a chance to make pitches and I didn't make pitches. But the longer I was out there, the better I started feeling, so that was big."

The Phillies retaliated in the eighth, back-to-back doubles scoring their third run. John Mayberry then launched a fastball off reliever Chris Volstad beyond the center-field wall, leaving Rockies fans to wonder if their bullpen would collapse as it did Friday, when the Phillies rallied from five down in the sixth to take the series opener.

The breaks went the Phillies' way early, as Ben Revere's leadoff single quickly turned into Philadelphia's first run. After Revere stole second and moved to third when Rosario's throw sailed over the second baseman's head, Young's infield single scored him. However, Gonzalez thwarted a potential big inning when he nailed Young at the plate.