(Sports Network) – The Philadelphia Phillies will try to complete a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia won its fourth straight game on Sunday, as Jimmy Rollins tied the contest and then scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning, helping the Phillies to a 4-3 victory. Ben Francisco hit a two-run homer for the Phillies, who have scored 20 runs in the first three games of this series.
“We’re still very comfortable with each other in here, and we have a team that’s built to win. We plan on doing that,” Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth said.
Ryan Madson (3-1) hurled a scoreless relief inning for the win. Brad Lidge loaded the bases in the ninth but recovered to earn his ninth save.
Ryan Spilborghs clubbed a two-run shot for the Rockies, who stumbled to their fifth straight defeat and are 2-8 on their 11-game road trip that winds down this afternoon.
Joe Beimel (1-1) was saddled with a blown save and the loss after being charged with two runs — one earned — over two-thirds of an inning.
“It’s obviously a tough way to lose, but you don’t put yourself in a favorable position when you strand 12 runners,” lamented Rockies manager Jim Tracy. “We just continue to allow the big at-bat to elude us and we lost by a run because of it.”
Heading to the hill tonight for the Phillies will be righty Joe Blanton, who is 3-6 with a 6.03 earned run average. Blanton absorbed the loss on Wednesday in St. Louis, as he allowed five runs (three earned) and seven hits in seven innings.
Blanton has never faced the Rockies in the regular season.
Colorado, meanwhile, will counter with righty Jason Hammel, who has lost his last two starts after winning six consecutive decisions. Hammel lost to Florida on Wednesday, surrendering five runs and six hits in seven innings to fall to 7-5, while raising his ERA to 4.23.
Hammel is 1-0 in two games (one start) against the Phils with a 4.82 ERA.
Though Colorado and Philadelphia split a two-game series in May, the Phillies have won 14 of the last 17 regular-season matchups between the clubs.