DENVER _ When the Phillies arrived Thursday afternoon at Coors Field, the memories from last season's ugly finish were quick to greet them.
They dressed in the same clubhouse where they silently collected themselves last September after being thumped four days in a row. They took batting practice from tosses thrown from the same mound were Phillies pitchers allowed 39 runs as the Rockies swept them. And they saw the left-field wall that Aaron Altherr ran face-first into to put an exclamation point on a month where nothing seemed to go the Phillies' way.
The team that arrived Thursday was quite different than the team that slogged here last September. But the results remained the same as the Phillies fell, 6-2, to the Rockies. They have lost seven of their last eight games at Coors Field, the beautiful ballpark on Blake Street, and have to hope their pitching can survive three more games against a potent Rockies lineup.
Zach Eflin was strong for five innings before trouble arrived in the sixth when the pitcher tried to navigate the Rockies lineup for a third-time. Nolan Arenado started the inning by reaching on a throwing error by Scott Kingery. Trevor Story followed with a single and then Ryan McMahon delivered the blow with a three-run homer as he crushed Eflin's change up to right-center.
Eflin allowed seven hits, walked three, and struck out two. All of his damage came from McMahon's homer. As usual, Eflin was not afraid to pitch to contact. But that can sometimes be a dangerous recipe in the thin air of Colorado.
The Phillies were without Odubel Herrera, who was placed on the injured list before the game with a strained right hamstring. Roman Quinn, who flew to Denver in the morning, started in center field and went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. He joined Mitch Walding as the only players in Phillies history to strikeout four times in their first game of the season. Herrera does not expect to be out for long, but the Phillies can afford to be cautious as Quinn and Aaron Altherr handle the majority of the reps in center.
The Phillies clawed back in the seventh when Rockies starter Kyle Freeland was lifted after a blister opened up on his throwing hand. Freeland, with a funky delivery, needed just 86 pitches to hold the Phillies scoreless for six innings. He struck out seven, walked none, and allowed just two hits.
J.T. Realmuto was quick to capitalize as hit a two-run homer off reliever Carlos Estevez after Rhys Hoskins was hit by a pitch. Earlier this week, Realmuto said he was finding his rhythm and timing at the plate after a slow start. It's beginning to show. He has 12 hits in his last 35 at-bats with two homers and 10 RBIs.
But that was the closest the Phillies would get. Jose Alvarez was brought on for the seventh to face left-handers Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl. He struck out Blackmon, but Dahl doubled to right field. Alvarez was replaced by Victor Arano, who had the unfair task to hold a runner at second with one out against the middle of the Rockies' lineup.
Arenado singled to center and Story brought in Dahl on a sacrifice fly, increasing the Rockies' lead to two runs. And then McMahon struck again. Arano threw a low-and-inside slider and McMahon jumped on it, sending it out to right field. Bryce Harper broke quickly after it, before slowing to a jog as he noticed the ball would clear the fence with ease. For the Phillies, it was just another tough night on Blake Street.
