Rockies get even with Phils in Game 2

The Phillies tried to pull out all the stops today, including using two starters in relief. And their starting pitcher left the ballpark early to be with his wife, who went in labor.

Just a typical postseason game in Philadelphia.

In the end, those moves and all the wacky occurrences couldn't overcome an early deficit as the Phillies fell, 5-4, to the Colorado Rockies in Game 2 of the National League division series at Citizens Bank Park.

The best-of-five series is tied at one game each heading to Denver for Game 3 Saturday night.

With a 5-4 lead, the Rockies turned to closer Huston Street in the ninth inning. Street, who had 35 saves this season, began the inning by getting pinch-hitter Ben Francisco to ground out to third base.

Up came pinch-hitter Matt Stairs, who was 4 for 8 with two home runs in his career off Street. Stairs drew a walk and was replaced by Game 1 hero Cliff Lee as a pinch-runner.

Miguel Cairo flew out to right field for the second out.

Jimmy Rollins kept the rally alive with a single to right field, with Lee holding up at second base.

Street ended matters by getting Shane Victorino to line out to second base.

Rockies manager Jim Tracy made two switches to his lineup. He flip-flopped his first two men in the order, moving Carlos Gonzalez to leadoff and dropping Dexter Fowler to No. 2.

Ryan Spilborghs replaced all-star Brad Hawpe in right field and batted seventh. Spilborghs is a righthanded batter. The Rockies had a 26-26 record in the regular season against lefthanded starters and a 66-44 mark against righthanders.

The Rockies, who didn't score their run until the ninth inning in Wednesday's 5-1 loss, got on the board much earlier with a first-inning run. Gonzalez led off the game with a single.

Cole Hamels apparently had him picked off, but first baseman Ryan Howard couldn't get the ball out of his glove and his throw to second was late.

Gonzalez went to third on Fowler's sacrifice bunt.

Todd Helton then hit a swinging bunt to the first-base side. Hamels fielded and threw home but was too late. Gonzalez scored and Helton was credited with a fielder's choice RBI.

Hamels averted further damage by getting dangerous Troy Tulowitzki to ground into a double play.

In the third inning, Gonzalez reached base on a one-out single. With two outs, Gonzalez was again picked off, and this time Howard made a successful throw to second base, where he was tagged out.

The Rockies extended the lead to 3-0 on Yorvit Torrealba's two-run homer to left field in the fourth. Torrealba hit a 1-1 hanging curveball, driving in Helton, who led off the inning with a single to center.

Torrealba wasn't the player the Phillies expected to see hit a long ball. He hit only two regular-season home runs. His last home run came on May 6 against San Francisco. He went his final 56 regular-season games plus the first game in the NLDS without a home run.

From June 2 to July 1, Torrealba spent time on the Major League Baseball restricted list to attend to a family matter involving the kidnapping and safe recovery of family members in Venezuela. Torrealba's 11-year-old son and two of the boy's uncles were targeted in the kidnapping.

The Rockies added a run in the fifth inning when Aaron Cook hit a one-out single to right field, advanced to third on Gonzalez's double and scored on Fowler's sacrifice fly.

After Carlos Ruiz drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel pinch-hit Greg Dobbs for Hamels.

Dobbs then flew out to right and Jimmy Rollins ended the inning by lining out to shortstop.

In five innings, Hamels allowed four runs (all earned) on seven hits. He didn't walk batter and struck out five. Hamels threw 83 pitches, 62 for strikes.

An announcement was made in press box in the top of the seventh that Hamels left the ballpark to be with his wife, Heidi who went into labor.

Joe Blanton came in relief for Hamels and pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Shane Victorino reached second in the bottom of the second on an infield base hit and error by second baseman Clint Barmes. After backhanding the ball, Barmes threw wide of first allowing Victorino to advance.

Victorino went to third on Chase Utley's single to right. Ryan Howard then drove in the Phillies' first run with a double to right, with Utley advancing to third.

Still with nobody out, Cook was lifted for Jose Contreras.

Contreras struck out the first batter he faced, Jayson Werth, but then Raul Ibanez made it 4-3 with a two-run single to center.

For his career, that made Ibanez 9 for 15 with a home run and four RBIs against Contreras.

Pedro Feliz then delivered a bloop base hit, putting runners on first and second with one out. The inning ended when Carlos Ruiz grounded into a double play.

Spilborghs led off the Rockies' seventh with a double down the left-field line. Barmes laid down a sacrifice bunt that Blanton fielded; he unsuccessfully went to third base. Spilborghs was safe at third, putting runners at the corners with nobody out.

J.A. Happ entered in relief of Blanton.

The Rockies loaded the bases when pinch-hitter Seth Smith hit a single that went off Happ's knee.

Happ threw a few warm-up pitches and was declared unfit to continue. He suffered a lower leg bruise and X-rays where negative. That brought in lefthander Scott Eyre, who struck out Carlos Gonzalez for the first out.

Fowler drove in the Rockies' fifth run with a sacrifice fly to right field. Eyre got Helton to end the inning on a pop-out to third base.

With the Phils trailing by 5-3, Brett Myers came in to pitch the eighth inning and hit the first batter he faced, Tulowitzki, in the elbow area.

Both runners moved to second and third on Torrealba's sacrifice bunt and Myers then intentionally walked Spilborghs to load the bases.

Barmes then hit a fielder's choice, with third baseman Miguel Cairo throwing out the lead runner at home.

Lefthander Antonio Bastardo came in to face pinch-hitter Jason Giambi, who stepped to the plate with 135 career postseason at-bats and a career .427 postseason on-base percentage. None of that impressed Bastardo, who struck Giambi out to end the inning.

The Phillies cut the lead to 5-4 on Werth's solo home run in the eighth inning off Rafael Betancourt.