For six innings, the Phillies’ offense was stuck in neutral. Then Edmundo Sosa found the gas pedal. A two-out, go-ahead, two-run double to the gap in right-center in the seventh. Moments later, Kyle Schwarber stepped in and crushed a 99-mph fastball into the ivy-covered batter’s eye in center. Just like that, a sluggish start turned into a 6-1 home-opening win over the Rockies.
And give credit to Rob Thomson for letting his guys do their thing. He had already played the matchup game earlier in the seventh, calling on Trea Turner to pinch-hit for Brandon Marsh. But with Sosa due up against right-hander Victor Vodnik? Thomson stayed with him. Two pitches later, Sosa made him look like a genius—lacing a double into the gap to set the stage for Schwarber’s blast.
It all happened with two outs. Bryson Stott sparked the four-run rally with a double to left. Turner followed with a walk. Then Sosa delivered. Then Schwarber slammed the door.
"I think it shows the depth of the lineup," Schwarber said. "I think that we always preach it's not going to be just one or two people, but it's a group and it takes a village to go to where we want to go. That's the beautiful thing about our game. It could be a couple of dudes for a week, then the next thing you know it's the next group of dudes, or the top or bottom of the lineup. That's why you love this game, because it isn't just one person, it's going to be someone else on a given day."
And the fireworks didn’t stop there. In the eighth, Max Kepler jumped on a fastball and sent it soaring into the right-field seats. One pitch later, Nick Castellanos followed, launching his first homer of the season—just beyond the 401-foot sign in center. Back-to-back shots, and any lingering doubt about this one was gone.
Cristopher Sánchez did his part, keeping the Rockies in check over 5 1/3 innings. The lone blemish? A Hunter Goodman solo shot to right-center in the fifth. Sánchez threw 93 pitches, 59 for strikes, working efficiently despite a few tense moments. He sat around 96.5 mph on the 43 sinkers he threw on the afternoon, the highest average velocity he has on the pitch in a game in his career.
"I walked two guys and that isn't me," Sanchez said through the team's translator. "I also missed a few pitches that I shouldn't have."
On the other side, Germán Márquez, making just his sixth start for the Rockies in the last three years after Tommy John surgery, was sharp. Six scoreless, four hits, no walks, four strikeouts. But once he was out of the game, the Phillies pounced.
Sosa finished the day with a pair of doubles and is now 6-for-11 over the first four games of the season.
On the other side, Germán Márquez, making just his sixth start for the Rockies in the last three years after Tommy John surgery, was sharp. Six scoreless, four hits, no walks, four strikeouts. But once he was out of the game, the Phillies pounced.
Sosa finished the day with a pair of doubles and is now 6-for-11 over the first four games of the season.
"Vodnik isn't a real traditional splits guy, he's pretty even, and Sosa has been swinging the bat well, so I decided to stay with him," Thomson said. "He's extremely important. You're going to have injuries over the course of the year, and he can fill in almost anywhere in the infield, and when he gets the chance to play, he plays well."
The Phillies and Rockies have an off day on Tuesday before resuming their three-game set on Wednesday.
