McKenry's homer lifts Rockies to 7-3 win over Phillies

McKenry's homer lifts Rockies to 7-3 win over Phillies


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DENVER (AP) — On a day Jorge De La Rosa struggled to get anything over the plate, he became the team's career strikeouts leader.

Wild, just like his control.

Michael McKenry hit a two-run homer and De La Rosa etched his name into the Colorado record books as the Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 on Thursday.

De La Rosa fanned Freddy Galvis in the fourth for his 774th strikeout in a Rockies uniform, moving past good friend Ubaldo Jimenez, who now is with Baltimore.

That made De La Rosa's erratic outing a little more palatable. De La Rosa struck out five in 4 1-3 innings before being pulled for Christian Bergman (2-0), who got a pair of flyouts in the fifth.

"It was a bad outing for me," said De La Rosa, who threw 108 pitches. "But it's always good when you break a record."

Troy Tulowitzki added a two-run single for the Rockies and Brandon Barnes, recently called up from Triple-A Albuquerque, had four hits.

The success of Barnes at the plate was a little surprising, given he was hitting .205 in the minors before being promoted when struggling Drew Stubbs was sent down.

While in Albuquerque, Barnes wasn't worried about his numbers, just getting his new stance figured out. He's working on a toe-tap before he swings and on Thursday finally found the perfect rhythm in the batter's box.

"Just wanted to make sure I was comfortable, so when came up here I was ready and ready to produce and help this team win," said Barnes, who led the majors in pinch hits (17) last season for Colorado. "I love this stage. ... Every game, every pitch, means something."

Jerome Williams (3-4) gave up five runs over five innings in his first start against Colorado in 10 years. He became the third pitcher to go more than a decade between starts against the Rockies, joining Tim Wakefield and Pedro Martinez, according to STATS.

"It's kind of strange. It makes you feel a little old," Williams said.

With the four-game split, Philadelphia remained stuck on 99 wins versus Colorado. No team has won 100 games against the Rockies outside of the NL West, a feat the Phillies can achieve in a week at Citizens Bank Park.

Ryan Howard kept up his torrid hitting at Coors Field, lining a solo homer in the fifth. He is hitting .395 over his last nine games at the hitter friendly field.

"He's just on a roll as far as good contact and good swings," Philly manager Ryne Sandberg said. "It was good to see it against a left-handed pitcher."

McKenry gave the Rockies a 5-3 lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. It was his first since Sept. 27.

That McKenry walked twice before his homer helped him see the full repertoire of Williams' pitches.

"First time I've ever faced him. You learn as you go," McKenry said. "Just trying to keep it simple."

De La Rosa wore down in the fifth and was taken out after Howard's homer tied the game.

From there, the bullpen took control, with five relievers allowing no runs and two hits over the final 4 2-3 innings. John Axford got Galvis to hit into a game-ending double play.

"When the phone rings early in the game, we're ready to get in there and get outs," reliever Boone Logan said. "We take pride in it."

TRAINING ROOM

Phillies: OF Grady Sizemore was out of the starting lineup for a second straight game. He entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth and struck out.

Rockies: MGR Walt Weiss said 1B Justin Morneau may not be ready when his stint on the seven-day concussion disabled list is up Friday. "I'm not going to say it's going to be a whole lot longer than that," Weiss said. ... RHP Adam Ottavino said his elbow "doesn't hurt or anything" two weeks after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery. "But I wouldn't go out there and try to pitch or anything," Ottavino joked.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Sean O'Sullivan (1-2, 3.68) takes the mound as Philly travels to Washington for a three-game series.

Rockies: RHP Kyle Kendrick (1-5, 6.70) will make his club-leading ninth start when the Rockies open a series against San Francisco on Friday. He's looking for his first win since opening day in Milwaukee.

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