Socking Rockies on roll
PHILADELPHIA – Done chasing that wild-card spot, Kaz Matsui and the relentless Colorado Rockies are playing like champs.
Matsui hit his first career grand slam and drove in five runs, leading the Rockies over the Philadelphia Phillies 10-5 Thursday for a 2-0 lead in their N.L. playoff series.
A day after taking a pitchers’ duel, Colorado outslugged the Phils and got a big effort from its bullpen. With 16 victories in 17 games, the Rockies are winning every which way.
“We believe we’re going to win every game,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “We’ve been playing in the loser’s bracket for a month.”
Matsui connected off Kyle Lohse, rushed in to relieve struggling rookie Kyle Kendrick in the fourth inning.
Lohse was the Phillies’ scheduled Game 4 starter.
Rookie Ubaldo Jimenez will try to pitch Colorado to a sweep Saturday night at Coors Field against veteran Jamie Moyer.
Making just the second postseason appearance in the franchise’s 15-year history, Colorado is on the verge of going to its first N.L. Championship Series. The Rockies posted their eighth straight road victory.
Matsui fell a single short of the cycle, and Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday homered on consecutive pitches in the first inning off Kendrick, who got a quick hook from manager Charlie Manuel.
Booed out of New York after 2 1/2 seasons with the Mets, Matsui is a perfect fit in Colorado.
“I couldn’t make good results in New York,” Matsui said through a translator. “I’m glad I have a good environment and a good team in Colorado.”
The Phillies had a chance to make it interesting in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs. But closer Manny Corpas came in and retired Carlos Ruiz. Corpas worked around a pair of two-out singles in a scoreless ninth for his second save in the series.
Jimmy Rollins homered and drove in four runs and Ryan Howard also went deep for Philadelphia, which ended a 14-year playoff drought by capturing the N.L. East title on the final day of the season.
But it’s been downhill for the Phillies since they followed a wild celebration Sunday with a pep rally at City Hall the next day.
The heavily criticized Manuel gave his critics plenty of ammunition with two questionable moves.
With the Phillies leading 3-2 in the fourth, Manuel pulled Kendrick after pinch-hitter Seth Smith’s infield single loaded the bases with two outs.
Manuel called on Lohse, who made two relief appearances on side days down the stretch. Lohse got ahead 1-2 on Matsui, before grooving a fastball. Matsui drove it into the right-field seats to give the Rockies a 6-3 lead and silence the largest crowd at 4-year-old Citizens Bank Park.
“Lohse has been pitching really good out of the bullpen, he has good stuff and I felt he was the right guy,” Manuel said.
Share voted for widow
Colorado voted a full playoff share for the widow of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh, killed by a line drive this season while coaching first base.
Some of the veteran players decided to award a full share to Amanda Coolbaugh. Their two sons, 5-year-old Joseph and 3-year-old Jacob, will throw out the first pitch Saturday in Game 3 at Colorado.
Coolbaugh was a first-base coach for the Rockies’ Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers. The former major leaguer was killed July 22, when a line drive struck him in the head.