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Down Early, Phils Power Past Rockies

It started downright ugly, with the defense flubbing plays and Kyle Kendrick not on his game again. But somehow, the Phils remained in the game and seized the opportunity, turning a typical loss into a runaway 9-5 win over the Rockies.

The offense looked sharp, and in critical situations. Jayson Werth hit his first career inside-the-park home run with a drive to the deepest part of Coors Field, and Chase Utley followed that up with his ninth homer of the year, his sixth in five games (he’s hit one in each of his last five, tying a franchise record). Down one, the Phils manufactured a two-out rally to load the bases off local product Taylor Buchholz. And with the bases loaded â€” a spot in which the Phils have struggled this year â€” Carlos Ruiz came up huge with a two-run double to grab the lead.

Werth and TJ Bohn added to the damage in the ninth, gaining insurance for the Phils for the easy close. Werth had two hits, Utley had two hits, Ryan Howard had two hits, and Pat Burrell had three hits, including his seventh home run of the season.

Kudos to the bullpen, who came up large. Clay Condrey battled out of a scoreless sixth inning; Rudy Seanez worked a scoreless seventh for the win; Tom Gordon had a fine eighth inning for the hold; Brad Lidge closed the door on the Rockies. Food for thought: Coming into the game the bullpen had a 3.03 ERA. They are now under 3.00.

Kendrick struggled to get five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks.

Associated Press photo

Here are some photos from the game:

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.