DENVER -- Move over Artemis II – you’ve got moonshot company from the Mile-High City.
The Phillies were looking to notch a 10th straight tilt in Colorado on Sunday, having won nine in a row against the Rockies. A dominant pitching performance from Tomoyuki Sugano and a trio of home runs by former Philly picks stood in the way, however, as the Phils fell to Colorado, 4-1, in a game with all the scoring coming from the long ball.
Taijuan Walker absorbed the bulk of the damage in the first frame, allowing three two-out runs on a solo homer to the second deck from Mickey Moniak, the Phillies’ No. 1 overall Draft pick from 2016, and a two-run shot from TJ Rumfield, Philly’s 12th-round pick from 2021. Moniak added another two-out solo shot in the fifth.
Walker lasted five innings, allowing all four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four, and he kept it in perspective, noting the progress as well as his mistakes, specifically the two payoff pitches that Moniak and Rumfield hit over the fences.
“I felt really good coming into today's start,” Walker said. “I tried to overthrow the heater, the first home run, and then that curve ball, I was trying to make it so perfect and just left it in the middle.”
Walker has had a rocky start to his season, giving up seven runs (six earned) over 4 2/3 innings in his first start, a 13-2 loss to Washington.
“Rough,” Walker said to describe the start to his season and the need to keep getting better. “I feel like the stuff is good. It's playing up. But when I'm making mistakes, it's getting hit right now.”
The Phillies struck back in the second with an Adolis García solo homer to right field, but it was all the damage they could muster against Sugano in his six innings on the hill.
“He's experienced, been around for a bit, and he's been in some big games,” Thomson said of Garcia’s ability to recover from an 0-for-4 Saturday with three strikeouts. “I don't think anything affects him. He comes to the ballpark ready to play every day.”
Garcia attributed his improved performance to a key tweak in his approach at the plate.
“The biggest adjustment for today was swinging at strikes,” Garcia said. “That's one of the keys to having a successful season this year.”
Kyle Schwarber hit a massive 421-foot fly ball with two on and two outs in the fifth that would have been a game-tying homer in 28 ballparks, but it was caught on the warning track by Rockies center fielder Jake McCarthy.
“I thought his ball was out, and I thought [Rafael] Marchan’s ball was out,” Thomson said. “That's the way it goes.”
Marchan’s drive came in the seventh inning with one on and one out and sent Gold Glover Brenton Doyle leaping and crashing into the center-field wall to make the catch 398 feet from home, a half-inning after entering as a pinch-hitter.
The bullpen offered a bright light in the loss, with Tim Mayza, Tanner Banks and Kyle Backhus pitching an inning each and retiring nine straight batters. The relievers have now faced 109 consecutive batters at Coors Field without allowing a home run.
“Mayza has been tremendous for us all year, and Banks, the last couple of years, he's been good, and it seems like every time Backhus goes out, he gets a little bit better,” Thomson said. “So those three – four lefties with [Jose] Alvarado – that makes it pretty easy to match up.”
Unfortunately, the Phils could not match up against Sugano, who made the first start by a Rockies Japanese-born starter at Coors Field in over 25 years (Masato Yoshi, Sept. 3, 2000). Sugano held Philly to a season-low one run on four hits.
“He moves the ball around pretty well, and he was able to execute his pitches today,” Garcia said. “At the same time, we weren't that lucky with some of the contacts that we made.”