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It wasn’t the prettiest road trip the Phillies have ever had. They lost one game 13-0 and recorded only one hit in another. But in the end, the Phillies finished the seven-game road swing with four wins, even if it wasn’t against the toughest competition they’ll face all season.
The Phillies have yet to show much consistency, with their longest winning streak being two games. But the schedule makers have given them a great opportunity to string a few wins together this weekend when they’ll be hosting a team currently riding an eight-game losing streak.
Colorado Rockies
Record: 5-14, Fifth place in National League West (Six games back)
The manager
Bud Black is back for his seventh season with the Rockies, and it’s looking increasingly likely that it will be his last. The team hasn’t had a winning season since 2018, they lost 94 games last year, and appear to be well on their way to surpassing that total in 2023. It isn’t even certain that he’ll survive the season - or even if he wants to.
The best thing about the new balanced schedule is the opportunity to see more of Bud Black pic.twitter.com/dmbiYpyGon
— Action Zach (@RealZachMason) April 16, 2023
The last time they met
April 2022 wasn’t a great month for the Phillies, except for the four games when they hosted the Rockies. The Phillies swept the series, outscoring the Rockies 32-9 over the four games. They were helped by the Rockies’ inability to field the ball cleanly; the Rockies committed seven errors in the series.
Phillies just completed sweep of Rockies in 4 game set. Outscored them 32-9.
— Swiss Skydiver (@swiss_skydiver9) April 28, 2022
Rockies had 7 errors in series, to Phillies 1.
Phillies scored 3 runs directly on errors. Scored 2 directly on wild pitches. Scored 2 on bases loaded walks. Scored 1 on bases loaded HBP.
What’s the deal with the Rockies?
The Rockies have that magical combination of poor hitting and poor pitching that causes teams to end up in last place. They rank 13th in the National League in runs scored, and dead last in team ERA. Their “stars” include C.J. Cron, whom many people want the Phillies to trade for, even though he has just one extra base hit since the first series of the season; and Kris Bryant who must be seriously questioning his decision to sign with the Rockies a year ago.
On the bright side, after over a year with the team, Bryant has finally hit a home run at Coors Field.
KRIS BRYANT HAS DONE IT! IN HIS SECOND SEASON PLAYING FOR THE ROCKIES! HE HAS FINALLY HIT A HOME RUN AT COORS FIELD! pic.twitter.com/Pa0kDPoszr
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) April 18, 2023
Good timing?
There’s a thought that you don’t want to play a team on a long losing streak, because even the worst teams win about 55 times during a season, and they’re probably due for one. And I’m always wary teams in bad stretches, because they sometimes have one of those “Everything went right for just one day” games.
On the other hand, I’ll take my chances against a talent-deprived team playing poorly any day of the year.
It is now 9-0 Pirates midway through the second. The #Rockies, on their way to their eighth straight loss, have been outscored 59-21 during this losing streak so far
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) April 19, 2023
Battle of the beards
Charlie Blackmon has long been a thorn in the Phillies’ side. The bearded outfielder has a career .940 OPS against the Phillies with 14 home runs in 61 games. But at age 36, the former batting champ is clearly on the backside of his career. Meanwhile, the Phillies now have a “beard guy” of their own, and his career appears to be on the upswing.
Brandon Marsh leads the Phillies with .370 batting average and .759 slugging percentage https://t.co/vdsgal71hb
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 19, 2023
Smarty’s tournament of randomness
Fourth-seeded Spider-Ham proved the more popular superhero, smashing Eric Bana as the Incredible Hulk to advance to the next round.
Our next matchup is...
#2 The T-1000
The liquid metal Terminator from T2 is one of the greatest movie villains ever. His ability to mimic others’ appearance and recover from any damage made him near unstoppable.
T2: Judgment Day, "T-1000" (4k) pic.twitter.com/LDBg4pEIDT
— a fistful of movies ️ (@ayfer_kaplan) January 30, 2023
#15 Jeanmar Gomez
There’s a thought that if you put any pitcher into enough save situations, he’d rack up a decent save total. In 2016, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin tested this theory out by making journeyman reliever Jeanmar Gomez his closer and watched him record 37 saves.
Jeanmar Gomez
— Random Philly Athletes (@philly_athletes) June 10, 2022
Pitcher
Philadelphia Phillies (2015-2017)
pic.twitter.com/rOtwSGgXYL
It’s up to you to decide who should advance to the next round!
Poll
Who should advance: T-1000 or Jeanmar Gomez?
This poll is closed
-
38%
#2 T-1000
(35 votes) -
61%
#15 Jeanmar Gomez
(56 votes)
Wasted opportunity
If the Phillies are going to play the Rockies on April 20th, the series should be in Colorado, because that would make for a good road trip for fans who like to travel. Boo to the schedule makers!
Non-Phillies thought
Does anyone have any good pillow recommendations? I’m dealing with neck pain, and my quest to find the perfect pillow has been fruitless thus far. I’m a side sleeper who prefers a relatively high, relatively firm pillow.
Closing thought
Wednesday’s win over the White Sox looked a lot like how the Phillies probably expected their wins to go: The starting pitcher pitched effectively into the seventh, and the bullpen finished it off without incident. Meanwhile, the offense scored six runs, thanks in part to a big game from Trea Turner. Let’s see if the Phillies can replicate that formula and get a few more wins on the ledger this weekend.
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