Scott Kingery drives in four as Phillies beat Rockies
It wasn't as easy as it should have been, but the Phillies were able to fend off a final inning threat by the Rockies en route to a 5-4 win Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Ahead 5-1 to open the ninth, Luis Garcia surrendered four consecutive singles to begin the frame before manager Gabe Kapler turned to Seranthony Dominguez to suppress the threat. Three runs scored in the inning, all charged to Garcia. The save was Dominguez's third of the season.

Garcia has had a disastrous month of June, carrying a 12.00 ERA for the month having faced just 16 batters. He's especially struggled this season with runners on base, with opponents hitting .273 against him in those situations.

"I mean, he throws 99 mph with a slider, so he matches up pretty well against a lot of people," Kapler said about his decision to have Garcia pitch in the ninth (see video below). "Because he hasn't had a lot of success in recent days doesn't mean we're going to go away from him. We have to maintain faith and confidence in our guys with big electric stuff, and that's basically what we've done."



Aaron Nola was dominant, allowing just one run while sitting down 10 in 6 2/3 innings. He scattered four hits and remains all but a lock to participate in next month's All-Star Game. Opponents are hitting just .194 against him over 14 starts this season. His 2.8 WAR ranks seventh in all of baseball, according to FanGraphs.

"He was exactly who we expected him to be [tonight]," Kapler said. "A guy we can lean on and go deep into games. He's a special kind of competitor, it was fun to watch him tonight."

Scott Kingery carried the Phillies offense, driving in four runs with three coming via a three-run blast in the first inning. The homer was his first since April 10. He added a sac-fly in the third to give the Phillies a four-run lead.

"It has been a long grind for him, although we have been seeing signs of Scotty from early April and Spring Training emerging," Kapler said (see video). "His swings have gotten better, the takes have gotten better and there has been less check swings and less lack of certainty at the plate. He just looks calmer and he has for several days now or maybe even weeks."

Nick Pivetta will take the mound for the Phillies on Tuesday as the series resumes. He'll face Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson.
_____________________________________________
Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post