Noah Spirek | @NoahSpirek | May 21, 2025

DENVER — In an enormously challenging season, Tuesday was another difficult night for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

Game Recap

By the time Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela fired his eighth pitch, the Rockies trailed 2-0. The Phillies opened the game with three straight hits, capped by a Bryce Harper two-run double.

Philadelphia added a third run via a Nick Castellanos sac fly, and the Rockies found themselves in an early 3-0 hole. Coming into the night, they had already surrendered the most first-inning runs in baseball.

Colorado finally broke through on the scoreboard in the fourth, manufacturing a run with some speed. After Brenton Doyle drew a walk and stole his fifth base of the season, he came around to score on an RBI single by Tyler Freeman.

In the seventh, with Philadelphia already ahead 4-1, the Phillies broke the game open, scoring three runs. Kyle Schwarber started the rally with a solo shot, his 17th of the season. After a single and a walk chased reliever Ryan Rolison from the game, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer turned to Jimmy Herget.

Herget retired Realmuto for the second out in the inning, but then allowed back-to-back run-scoring singles to Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh, extending Philly’s advantage to 7-1.

The Rockies would close the gap to 7-4 with two runs in the ninth, but it was too little, too late. Philadelphia starter Jesús Luzardo set the tone, pitching six innings and tossing his second-straight quality start. The gem lowered his season ERA to 1.95.

“He’s a really good pitcher,” Schaeffer said of Luzardo. “I thought we battled him hard tonight. We worked some good counts, we just didn’t win the battle.”

In the loss, Tyler Freeman went 3-for-4 and logged his first three-hit game as a Rockie, including his first extra-base hit of the season with his double in the seventh inning.

Colorado drops to 8-40, with the 40 losses through the first 48 games marking the most by a Major League team since 1901.

What’s Next?

On Wednesday, the Phillies and Rockies will play Game 3 of the four-game series. Philadelphia will send RHP Taijuan Walker (1-3, 2.62 ERA) to the bump, while Colorado will counter with LHP Carson Palmquist (0-1, 11.25) making his first start at Coors Field. First pitch is set for 6:40 MT.

Story by Noah Spirek.