Top of lineup hits bottom against Francis
The top of the Phillies' lineup triggered a season for the ages this year, helping the club score its most runs since 1930.
Yesterday, however, the top of the lineup hit rock bottom, contributing mightily to the Phils' 4-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies in the National League division series opener at Citizens Bank Park.
The first four hitters - Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard - were a combined 0 for 15 with nine strikeouts. Utley struck out four times (on 13 pitches), while Howard whiffed three times. Rollins and Victorino each struck out once.
Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at 215-854-5181 or scarchidi@phillynews.com.
"That was the difference in the game," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
"We'll bounce back," Utley insisted.
Jeff Francis, a 6-foot-5 Colorado lefthander whom the Phils had rocked in his two previous outings this year, did most of the damage yesterday. The Phils' first four hitters had a combined .400 average against Francis in the regular season.
Things were much different yesterday.
Other than serving back-to-back fifth-inning homers to Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell, Francis was superb. In six innings, he allowed just four hits while striking out eight and walking two.
This is the same guy who had a 15.12 ERA against the Phils in the regular season.
"I think some of our hitters may have been a little uptight, but that's the fourth time I've seen Francis pitch - and the third time this year - and he definitely was way better than the other times we faced him," Manuel said. "His command and his control were very good."
Francis had five of his eight strikeouts against Utley and Howard, both of whom are lefthanded.
"They're the key hitters in that lineup, most definitely," Francis said. "That's what you want to do, and you want to be able to put them away quickly. You don't want to mess around, and fortunately they were swinging and missing."
"You have to tip your cap to Francis," Victorino said. "He had everything working. He got ahead with his fastball and then went with the breaking ball. He kept us on edge."
"He had his change-up working; he threw his off-speed pitches for strikes," Rollins said.
"It was a little tough to see early in the game because of the shadows . . . but you have to give him credit," Howard said. "He kept us off-balance. He mixed it up, changed speeds, and moved it in and out."
Utley struck out four times in a game for only the second time in his career. The other time was June 8, in Kansas City.
"He threw strikes with all his pitches, and he kept the ball down in the zone," said Utley, who hit .332 this year to finish tied for third in the league. "He had us guessing up there."
"Obviously, I didn't expect Chase to strike out four times in a game," said Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins, who was Utley's teammate at UCLA. ". . . But Jeff is tough on lefties."
The loss put the Phils in nearly a must-win situation today against 21-year-old Franklin Morales, another lefthander.
"There's no doubt we'll put this behind us, learn from our mistakes, and tomorrow we'll be ready," Utley said. "There have been plenty of times where we've struggled, and we've always battled through it."
"Sometimes, you just have these days," Howard said.
"It doesn't put any extra pressure on us," Rollins said. "We came here to win three games; it doesn't matter who won Game 1. You have to win three."
Contact staff writer Sam Carchidi at 215-854-5181 or scarchidi@phillynews.com.
