Mike Moustakas is a Rockie? Rockies 5 Phillies 0

The Phillies began a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies, who are coming into tonight with an eight-game losing streak and one of the worst records in all of baseball.

To begin Matt Strahm’s night, Jurickson Profar walked and after a couple of strikeouts from Ryan McMahon and Kris Bryant, CJ Cron broke his cold streak with a bomb off a hanging slider to make it 2-0.

Cron continues to fool Phillies fans into thinking they should trade for him.

The Phillies’ offense couldn’t string things together all night. Castellanos hit a single to right in the second, and Bohm drew a two-out walk. Jake Cave has struggled all year and even switched to a natural grain bat, maybe for a little more luck. It did not work.

The third inning rolled around and Bryson Stott continues to do a great Eddie Collins impression with a single to left. Unfortunately, Trea Turner popped out, and Kyle Schwarber struckout.

Strahm continues to impress in the starting rotation, going 5.1 innings and striking out 11. The Rockies’ lineup isn’t amazing but he made them look foolish. His Curveball/slider (whatever you want to call it) generated 8 whiffs on 13 swings and he paired this with excellent fastball command to generate multiple strikeouts looking.

After a McMahon single, Andrew Bellatti came in and his recent struggles continued. Cron poked a well-placed slider on the outside part of the plate for a single, and Elias Díaz drove in McMahon for a 3-0 lead.

Bellatti just couldn’t limit the damage after that, with two outs he walked Yonathan Daza on nine pitches to load the bases, and followed that by walking Alan Trejo on eight to make it 4-0.

Ryan Feltner looked just as dominant on the other end, making quick work of a very impatient Phillies offense. Feltner came into the game with an ERA over 8 but torching the Phillies’ offense certainly lowered it. Feltner allowed a single by Kyle Schwarber and a Brandon Marsh walk before being pulled.

The young Rockies right-hander went 5.2 innings and struck out six, showing swing and miss ability with his slider and changeup.

Justin Lawrence came in relief to get out of the jam. JT Realmuto recorded an infield hit to load the bases but Bohm turns his back on a strike-three slider to end the sixth.

Bud Black put a lot of trust into his young right-hander, Lawrence came right back out for the seventh to record a one-two-three inning.

Black saw it work one time and tried again, this time Trea Turner lead off a double. Schwarber moved him over with a ground out to first but Castellanos was frozen on a slider. Marsh walked to set the stage for a rematch between Lawrence and Realmuto.

Lawrence knocks out Realmuto with a down-and-away slider to win the battle and keep the shutout alive.

The Rockies turned tonight into a route, leading off the ninth with a Daza double down the left-field line. Alan Trejo laid down a really impressive bunt to third off a sinker that was about to hit his hip.

It’s easy to forget that Mike Moustakas is somehow a Colorado Rockie because of course he is. He hit for Ezequiel Tovar and blooped a down and in slider right over Alec Bohm to make it 5-0.

With two on in the ninth, Trea Turner struck out swinging on a Pierce Johnson slider to end the night.

The Phillies are now 8-12 but more importantly, are 0-4 in games I picked to recap.

First pitch is at 7:10 tomorrow with Aaron Nola taking on Noah Davis, who went five shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners in his first career start last Sunday.