Phils Dig Out of Another Hole to Sweep Rockies

There's something about the Phillies' penchant for falling behind early that has brought out the best in the team. With their backs against the wall, the Phils' offense has been as vicious as a cornered wolverine while the starting pitching has been as tranquil as a kitten.

Then again, it's not like they have had any other choice.

	Jimmy Rollins leaps out of the way after forcing out Juan Uribe in the first inning. (AP)

Eight times thus far, the team has either given up three or more runs in the first inning or five or more by the third to fall into quick holes. However, four times the team has come back to win in those games, including Sunday afternoon's 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Trailing 4-0 before they even had a turn to hit, the Phillies scored seven unanswered runs to earn a three-game sweep over the Rockies just a week removed from a Rockies' sweep at Coors Field. More importantly for the Phils, they were able to come back from their second 4-0 deficit in as many days for their first three-game winning streak of the season. Then again, it's not like the team had much choice. After a 9-18 April, the Phils have to win in May, or else. Going three for four in the new month is a pretty good start.

"It's the fashion we have been winning that helps our confidence," said Jimmy Rollins, who went 7-for-12 with two triples and two doubles in the series. "We have to win as many series' as we can, and hopefully we'll be right there at the end."

But if they keep doing it the way they are, they'll be as worn down as an old pencil burned to the nub. Relying on the offense to fight back from big deficits while giving the pitching staff no wiggle-room takes its toll eventually. Especially when there are 131 games to go.

"It's hard to keep coming back," manager Larry Bowa said. "I don't mind it, but it takes its toll on the regulars. Coming back to the bench down 4-0 every night is hard."

Not to mention that it could wear on a starter's psyche to the point where he just assumes that he will give up the early runs regardless of how good he feels.

"The first inning has definitely been our Achilles heel," Bowa said.

But Vicente Padilla has shown very few weaknesses during his short tenure as a starter. Coming off an outing where he was perfect for the first five innings and allowed just three hits and no walks in eight innings in a win against the Giants, Padilla has easily been the team's most dependable pitcher. That's why his start to Sunday's win was so weird.

"When he gives up a run, he gets angry," Bowa said about Padilla. "He gets mad because he doesn't think anyone should score on him. He was really mad after the first inning."

Padilla admits he got a little angry.

"My arm felt a little tight, not sore but stiff," Padilla said in Spanish. "It's not an excuse. I was mad at myself in the first inning because I wanted to do better."

Four runs before getting two outs will do that to a pitcher, especially when every hitter in the inning was faced with two strikes. In the first, Juan Pierre led off with a double, Juan Uribe singled and then Todd Helton drove home Pierre with a towering, one-out double. Todd Zeile followed with a three-run homer that just cleared the fence in left center to make it 4-0 and give him his second first-inning homer in as many days.

But like Randy Wolf a day earlier, Padilla buckled down. The young Nicaraguan retired 12 of the next 13 and scattered three singles until leaving after six innings, setting it up for the bullpen trio of Rheal Cormier, Ricky Bottalico and Jose Mesa to close it down. Cormier allowed one hit in 1 2/3 (that hit struck him just below the knee and knocked him out of the game). Bottalico whiffed the only batter he faced, and Mesa faced four hitters to earn his ninth save.

But the onus was truly on the hitters.

Luckily for the Phils, the bats and the bullpen are in sync. In the last six games, the team has scored 30 runs, and the bullpen has given up a run in the last three games and 10 1/3 innings. Sunday, the hitters responded with one in the first, three in the fourth, two in the sixth and one, for good measure, in the eighth. The heroes were fill-ins Jason Michaels and Tomas Perez.

Michaels went 3-for-4 with three runs and came a homer shy of the cycle. Perez also went 3-for-4 and drove home three runs hitting out of the No. 8 hole.

"We got big plays from guys who haven't played much," Bowa said. "Michaels has done a great job and Tomas has been outstanding since I've been here"

Michaels and Perez hit back-to-back doubles in the fourth to drive in the three runs and knot the game at 4. Then, they both wrapped out singles in the sixth to set the table for Bobby Abreu's RBI grounder and Rollins' sacrifice fly to right. For the icing on the cake, Michaels led off the eighth with a triple and came home when Perez stroked a single down the line in right.

Still, Michaels and Perez coming through like they did on Sunday isn't that big of deal. In fact, both players are making it difficult for Bowa to keep them out of the lineup. In 12 games, Michaels is hitting .476 (10-for-21) with a homer, two triples and 12 RBIs. Perez is hitting an even .300 (8-for-20) with a homer and four RBIs and is capable of playing just about every position on the diamond.

"It's tough having to come off the bench, but we just have to work hard,'' Perez said. "We do the little things you have to do to help the team win."

Rollins says the team doesn't miss a beat when either player gets a chance. Perez, he says, might even rival him as Mr. Excitement.

"He's crazy," Rollins said. "It doesn't matter if he hasn't played in a month, when he's out there it's Showtime. He's like a casino in Vegas."

Still, the team isn't out of the woods yet. At 12-19, the Phils are still trailing the surprising Montreal Expos by seven games in the NL East and have two teams that aren't too keen on letting teams come back against them coming up. Beginning Tuesday, the Phils play three against the Houston Astros before taking on the World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks for three next weekend.

	Rheal Cormier writhes in pain after getting hit in the shin by a line drive in the eighth inning. Cormier has a leg contusion and is listed as day-to-day. (AP)

It's not going to get any easier, according to Bowa.

"We still have a lot of work to do," he said.

Terry Adams (0-3, 3.99) squares off against Houston's Shane Reynolds (2-3, 4.50) in the series opener on Tuesday. The Phils right-hander faced some hard luck his last time out where he allowed just three hits and one unearned run in a 2-1 loss to the Giants. Making it more difficult for Adams is the fact that the offense has provided him with just 13 runs in his five starts, including a measly two runs his last two times out.

Reynolds has lost each of his last three starts despite pitching well. He's averaged seven innings a game over the losing streak but has allowed a costly home run in each outing.

Notes: The series sweep is the Phils' first since sweeping the Reds to close the 2001 season. ... Cormier is listed as day-to-day with a contusion below his left knee after getting struck by Todd Zeile's liner. ... Perez's three hits and three RBIs tie career highs. ... Pierre's double was his first extra base hit of the season. He has 35 singles in 31 games played. ... Juan Uribe extended his hitting streak to a National League-leading 17 games with an infield single in the first.

John R. Finger
ComcastSportsNet.com