DENVER _ The final month of this Phillies season was already ugly. But it turned painful Monday night in a 10-1 blowout loss to the Rockies.
Aaron Altherr left the game in the fourth inning after slamming into the outfield wall as he tracked a would-be home run. He was later ruled to have a bruised big toe and a knee bruise, which seemed like a relief after he hit the wall with such force. Altherr left the field on a cart, which drove him through the left-field gate at Coors Field and away from another brutal loss.
The Phillies have a .500 record for the first time since their 10th game of the season. They were 15 games over .500 on Aug. 5 and have gone 15-30 since. They have lost 16 of their 22 games this month. To salvage a winning record, the Phillies will have to win four of their final six games, all of which come against teams that are playing for postseason stakes. A losing season could be hard to avoid.
The Rockies drove in three runs with the bases loaded in the third inning without a hit. Austin Davis walked in two runs with the bases loaded and then fired a wild pitch to score another run. The Phillies' lone run came on a homer from Rhys Hoskins in the seventh. By then, the Phillies were down by eight runs, and another painful night was close to being sealed.
