Phillies give up 2 more homers in seventh straight loss

The power outage that has contributed to the Phillies' struggles was not unexpected. Two of their top three home-run hitters - Marlon Byrd and Jimmy Rollins - were dealt in December as part of the organization's rebuilding efforts.

But the dearth of home runs has been accentuated recently by the team's inability to prevent them. Jerome Williams allowed the staff's 14th and 15th long balls in just a six-game span in a 4-1 loss Sunday to the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies' season-worst seventh consecutive defeat.

Two-run home runs by Nolan Arenado and D.J. LeMahieu helped send the Phillies to a season-low 14 games under .500. Behind baseball's worst offense, the National League East cellar-dwellers capped May amid their worst start to a season in 15 years. They already have been swept three times.

This weekend's three losses at Citizens Bank Park featured a total of four Phillies runs against a Rockies pitching staff with the worst ERA in the majors.

"They had a good game plan against us," outfielder Ben Revere said. "It's one of those deals where I wish we would face them again because you get ticked off about going down like that. But we've got to go on to the next series, focus on the Reds."

The Phillies, off Monday before opening their series with Cincinnati on Tuesday, have homered just once in their last seven games. They have hit just 27 homers this season, the lowest mark in the majors. Only two of their 14 homers in May were not of the solo variety. Ryan Howard has accounted for six of their last 13 long balls.

Arenado's homer came in just the game's third at-bat on Williams' first-pitch sinker. It was the ninth of the month for the Rockies third baseman. With one out in the fifth inning, LeMahieu joined the Rockies' home run derby - they smacked eight in the series - on an 0-1 change-up.

"It's frustrating," said Williams, who lasted only five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits. "But we just have to bear down and get back to it."

Williams' ERA rose to 5.49. Seven May starts yielded a 6.62 mark. The journeyman righthander was pulled after throwing just 65 pitches.

"All I can do is go out there and try to do my best," he said. "I think that was a good pitch I made [to LeMahieu], a change-up that was down, and he golfed it out. I just go out there and try and do my job. Sometimes it's not happening."

The Phillies bats didn't fare much better, mustering seven hits but only one run, on Cameron Rupp's second-inning RBI double. Rockies starter Jordan Lyles exited after facing only six batters because he aggravated his sprained left big toe. Chris Rusin, a lefthander pitching his second major-league game of the year, held the Phillies to four hits over 42/3 scoreless frames.

"It just looked like he just mixed it up a little bit," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He got a lot of ground-ball outs. He had some movement on the pitches. But not overpowering, by no means."

Odubel Herrera's seventh-inning flare to left field was the Phillies' first hit with runners in scoring position since Tuesday, snapping an 0-for-24 drought in such situations. The single did not score a run but loaded the bases with no outs.

Rockies righthander Brooks Brown entered and exhausted just 11 pitches while striking out Rupp, Darin Ruf, and Revere. Rupp and Ruf swung through fastballs. Revere whiffed on three consecutive change-ups.

Forget home runs. The Phillies would have settled for solid contact.

StartText

6.62 Jerome Williams' ERA in seven May starts.

35-12 Opponents' and Phillies' runs during their seven-game losing streak.

27

Homers by the Phillies this season, the lowest total in the majors.EndText

@jakemkaplan