LDN - Sports

Paredes powers Phillies past Rockies

[August 15, 2016] PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies traded blows for a good three innings on Sunday afternoon, with each team plating exactly one run between the bottom of the second and top of the fifth innings.

The Rockies blinked first, however, giving up three runs in the bottom of the fifth as the Phillies pulled off the sweep with a 7-6 win at Citizens Bank Park.

It was a slog of a game, lasting more than 3 1/2 hours in temperatures that felt like triple digits all afternoon long.

"I applaud our guys, on a real tough day they battled the whole game, played hard and that was very special to me," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I think because it was one of the hottest days we've played in this year, I think that had a lot to do with it."

Reserve infielder Jimmy Paredes had his best offensive game of the season, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored to lead the way.

Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on June 1, Paredes put the Phillies on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI single and made it 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot.

Paredes' biggest at-bat came in that decisive fifth inning, when his double to right field scored Odubel Herrera, opening up the first multi-run lead of the game at 5-3 and chasing Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood.

"I wanted to make a triple for the cycle, but I didn't get it," he said. "(Today) was good because you try to drive the team to win, do the best you can, and I was ready for my chance."

Phillies reliever Severino Gonzalez, who entered the game three batters into the fourth inning after an injury sustained by starter Adam Morgan, picked up his first win of the season. He gave up one earned run in two innings to improve to 1-2 with a 4.13 ERA.

Morgan had to be removed when a line drive by Nick Hundley caught him in his left (throwing) arm; he was officially diagnosed with a left arm contusion and his status is day-to-day.

"We don't know yet (about making his next start)," Mackanin said. "We're going to take the day off tomorrow and mull it around, see where he's at."

David Hernandez (1 2/3 innings, one earned run) and Hector Neris (1 1/3 innings, zero runs) got the Phillies through the eighth inning. Jeanmar Gomez made things interesting in the ninth, allowing two runners to score on a two-out, bases-loaded single by Hundley before getting Gerardo Parra to fly out to center to end the contest.

It was a somewhat rocky performance from a bullpen that's been heavily taxed of late, with starter Zach Eflin (foot) out for the remainder of the season and Jeremy Hellickson (back) in limbo.

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"Today was kind of hairy for us because we didn't want to get to a situation late in the game where it was a tie game and I didn't have any pitchers left, so I had to go the extra mile with some of those guys and they did a real good job," Mackanin said. "I looked back at my chart and we've been five innings, four innings, five innings, three innings with our starters and that really taxes the bullpen."

Chatwood, who lasted four batters into the decisive fifth inning without recording an out, took the loss to fall to 10-8. He surrendered six runs (four earned), walking five and striking out four as his ERA rose to 3.75.

Bothered by a bad back, he said he was only able to throw his fastball to one side of the plate and was also having trouble with his breaking ball.

"It stayed tight throughout," he said. "It's hard when you're pitching hurt. The game is hard as it is."

The Phillies added one more run in the sixth inning thanks to an RBI double by Herrera, but the Rockies got it back in the seventh on Charlie Blackmon's home run.

Blackmon finished off a terrific series at the plate for Colorado, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored on Sunday. He added two solo home runs - Nos. 19 and 20 on the season - to finish off a three-game stretch in which he collected five blasts, including three solo shots in a loss on Friday night.

"If you play baseball long enough, eventually you're going to get hot," he said. "I'm grateful I'm seeing the ball well but I'm not going to get too excited."

Colorado, which entered the game with the eighth-most errors (76) in the majors, committed four miscues on Sunday, including two and a wild pitch during the third inning to allow the Phillies to briefly take a 2-1 lead.

NOTES: The Phillies won Saturday's game 6-3 despite being out-singled (7-4), out-doubled (3-1), out-tripled (1-0) and out-homered (2-1). It's the first time in the modern era that they had won a game under those circumstances (0-202 since 1900). ... Former INF Placido Polanco, who played for the Phillies from 2002-05 and 2010-12, returned to Philadelphia to retire as a member of the team. He also threw out the first pitch. ... The Phillies have one day off before beginning a three-game series at home against the Dodgers; the Rockies return home Monday to host the Nationals in the first of three contests.

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