Utley's homer powers Eaton to first win, Phillies to sweep
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| Regular Season Series |
| Philadelphia leads 5-0 (as of Wed 5/28) |
| Mon 4/21 |
PHI 9, @COL 5 |
Recap |
| Tue 4/22 |
PHI 8, @COL 6 |
Recap |
| Mon 5/26 |
@PHI 20, COL 5 |
Recap |
| Tue 5/27 |
@PHI 7, COL 4 |
Recap |
| >Wed 5/28 |
@PHI 6, COL 1 |
Box Score |
| · Complete Schedule: Phillies | Rockies |
| Scoring Summary |
| COL | PHI |
 | 1st | G Jenkins walked, S Victorino scored, C Utley to third, P Burrell to second. | 0 | 1 |
 | 3rd | T Helton singled to deep left, W Taveras scored, S Smith out at home. | 1 | 1 |
 | 5th | C Utley homered to right, J Rollins and S Victorino scored. | 1 | 4 |
 | 5th | G Jenkins homered to right, R Howard scored. | 1 | 6 |
| · View complete Play-By-Play |
| Game Information |
| Stadium | Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA |
| Attendance | 39,845 (91.3% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:48 |
| Weather | 68 degrees, clear |
| Wind | 6 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Greg Gibson, First Base - Brian Runge, Second Base - Charlie Reliford, Third Base - Mike Estabrook |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Adam Eaton needed one-third of the season to eliminate the goose egg next to his name.
Chase Utley hit his major league-leading 17th homer to help Eaton earn his first win and the
Philadelphia Phillies beat the
Colorado Rockies 6-1 on Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.
Chase-ing History
Chase Utley hit his 17th home run Wednesday, the most HRs by a second baseman by the end of May in MLB history. The Marlins' Dan Uggla could also join him this season.
Most HR By End of May
Among 2nd Basemen
| Player |
Season |
HRs |
| Chase Utley |
2008 |
17 |
| Dan Uggla |
2008 |
16 |
| Alfonso Soriano |
2003 |
16 |
| Damion Easley |
1998 |
16* |
| * -- Includes one as a SS that season |
Eaton (1-3) allowed one run over six innings,
Geoff Jenkins hit a two-run shot and the Phillies (31-24) moved a season-best seven games above .500 with their first sweep of the season. Philadelphia outscored Colorado 33-10 in the series.
"I was nervous, to be honest with you," said Eaton, who was winless in his first 10 starts. "It was a weird feeling. It was nice to get the first one out of the way the last week of May."
The reeling Rockies are a season-worst 13 games under .500. The defending NL champions, who swept Philadelphia in the division series last October, have been decimated by injuries this season.
Eaton gave up four hits and struck out four in his best outing so far, lowering his ERA to 4.99. He also pitched well in his last start, at Houston, but took the loss. Eaton was a bust last season after signing a $24.5 million, three-year deal in free agency. He was 10-10 with a 6.29 ERA and got left off the postseason roster.
"He's been a little more aggressive," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's stayed out of a big inning. If he can get us to the sixth, seventh inning, he'll be OK."
Rockies rookie
Greg Reynolds (0-2) allowed five hits but was hurt by eight walks. The right-hander gave up six runs in 5 2/3 innings in his fourth career start. Reynolds was the second overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft.
"We were in the game until the two homers," Reynolds said. "It was pretty disappointing they had an inning like that."
After
Jimmy Rollins and
Shane Victorino walked to start the bottom of the fifth, Utley drove one into the second deck in right field to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead. Jenkins connected after
Ryan Howard walked to make it 6-1.
Utley is on pace to hit 50 homers, 18 more than his career high in 2006. The record for second basemen is 42, set by Rogers Hornsby in 1922 and tied by Davey Johnson in 1973.
Reynolds walked three in the first, including Jenkins with the bases loaded to force in a run.
"He got outside himself a little," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's part of the learning curve."
Todd Helton's RBI single off the left-field wall tied it at 1 in the third. The hit should've put the Rockies ahead, but
Seth Smith hesitated before taking off from second base, held up at third and was thrown out at the plate by first baseman Howard after Helton got caught in a rundown between first and second.
The Phillies have 48 runs in the last four games, all wins.
"It's obviously a good lineup," Jenkins said. "It's fun to be a part of. We can basically put anyone in there and get the job done."
Game notes The Rockies dropped
Jorge De La Rosa from the starting rotation. The left-hander was scheduled to start Saturday at Chicago. De La Rosa is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA. A replacement hasn't been named, though lefty
Glendon Rusch could get the nod. ... Victorino was 3-for-4, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. ... Victorino had two stolen bases, giving the Phillies 38 steals in 44 tries. Their 86.4 percent success rate is best in the majors.