Colorado Rockies morning after: 3 things to like from Phillies series win

Garrett Hampson of the Colorado Rockies had a performance Sunday afternoon of which youth who aspire to be future Major Leaguers dream.

Hampson drove in all of his team’s runs on a pair of homers as Colorado edged Philadelphia 5-4 in the finale of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

The victory allowed the Rockies (66-78) to capture the series, 3-1, after the Rox won the opening two games against the Phillies (72-71) on Thursday and Friday.

With Colorado trailing 2-0, Hampson cracked a three-run homer off Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola in the fifth inning following singles by Elias Diaz and Colton Welker.

After the Phillies answered by tying the score at 3-3, the center fielder belted a two-out, two-run shot in the seventh inning — his 11th of the year — against reliever Hector Neris with Diaz on board again via a single. Hampson’s crossing of the plate ended up being the eventual winning run.

Ironically, both his home runs came on 0-2 pitches.

Colorado manager Bud Black lauded Hampson for his role in Sunday’s win.

"“Obviously, today he was a huge part of our game, plus our bullpen,” Black said. “He took the game over. He really did. So, it was great. An 0-2 pitch against an All-Star type pitcher and (he) hit it out. And then another homer off a pretty dependable, talented reliever. That’s good stuff. That shows the talent that Garrett has.”"

Hampson added to his banner day with a single in the ninth inning to cap a 3-for-4 performance. Brendan Rodgers also collected three hits as he and Hampson combined for six of Colorado’s nine hits in the game against a team that is battling for its playoff life in the season’s final weeks.

"“We kept saying how much these games mean for them,” Hampson said. “Likewise, I think these games are huge for us, too. We want to play spoiler and play these teams tough, especially on the road. It means a lot. To come in here and take three out of four in Philadelphia is pretty awesome.”"

The game featured the second Major League start for Rox right-hander Ryan Feltner.

After surrendering six earned runs, including three homers, in 2.2 innings in his debut at home against Atlanta September 5, Feltner was touched for just four hits and two earned runs in 3.2 innings against Philadelphia. He fanned six while issuing three walks.

From there, relievers Lucas Gilbreath, Ashton Goudeau, Jhoulys Chacin, and Carlos Estevez teamed up to allow just three hits the rest of the way with Estevez closing out the contest with a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save of the year.

Thanks to Hampson’s home run swings, Colorado managed to win despite striking out 12 times.

Here are 3 things to like from the Colorado Rockies series win over the Philadelphia Phillies

1. Rox match season-long road winning streak: By winning the first two contests against Philadelphia, when coupled with its previous road contest victory September 1 at Texas, Colorado matched its longest road winning streak of the 2021 season at three games. The Rockies are now 6-5 in their last 11 road games after starting the campaign 6-31 on the road through the first three months of the season.

2. Goudeau provides key innings of relief: Goudeau, who rejoined the Rockies organization in late July after Colorado designated him for assignment in late April, threw two key innings of relief on Sunday and earned the victory — his first this season with the Rockies. The right-hander has the versatility to either start or be a multiple-inning option reliever for the pitching staff.

Black talked about the well-traveled Goudeau, who has been on the 40-man roster for several teams, including the Rockies, in the last year.

"“I thought he threw the ball really well,” Black said after Sunday’s game. “I thought his velocity was sneaky fast, up to 95 ,but a lot of 93’s. Good changeup and the slow breaking ball, which is a great velocity variance pitch for him. He’s throwing strikes. He’s changing speeds. He is keeping batters off balance. He’s been a little bit under the radar. I am glad he is with us.”"

3. Gilbreath gets first win in the Majors: The rookie and Colorado native earned his first Major League victory on Thursday night against the Phillies with an inning of scoreless relief. By retiring the only batter he faced on Sunday, the left-hander has notched 13 consecutive scoreless outings. He has gone scoreless in 17 of his last 19 appearances and in 23 of 28 outings since his last recall from Triple-A in early June. Opposing batters are hitting just .206 (26 for 126) against him.

Following a day off from action Monday, Colorado continues its road journey on Tuesday by traveling to Atlanta to open a three-game set with the Braves. Jon Gray (7-10, 4.10 ERA) is scheduled to take the hill for the Rox with Touki Touissaint (3-2, 4.11) slated to go for Atlanta. The teams split a four-game series in Denver September 2-5.