Bettis Bests Phillies Bats
By Matt Veasey
4. 108. Final. 1. 6
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chad Bettis took a perfect game into the 7th, a no-hitter into the 8th, and in the end beat the host Phillies 4-1 in a pitching gem to open a 3-game weekend series at Citizens Bank Park.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- Philadelphia Phillies bullpen could still struggle greatly in 2023 season
- Philadelphia Phillies: Most impactful transactions in 2022
- How will Rob Thomson manage the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen in 2023?
- How Phillies’ Ranger Suárez is set to build on 2022 postseason dominance
- What can Philadelphia Phillies expect from Bryson Stott in 2023?
Bettis retired the first 18 Phillies batters until shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, the offensive hero of the night for Colorado, made an error on a ball hit by Ben Revere, allowing the Phils’ speedy outfielder to reach leading off the 7th.
The Rockies starter allowed nothing else until, with one out in the 8th, he lost his no-hitter to a defensive shift. Cody Asche, returning from a minor league assignment where he grew more accustomed to his new left field position, grounded a clean single right where the shortstop would normally have been playing.
Closer John Axford came on to shut the Phillies down in the 9th, and allowed an unearned run thanks to his own wild pitch and a fielding error, but the Rockies held on to hand the Phils their 5th straight defeat.
Cole Hamels had started for the Phillies, and was very good once again. The ace lefty allowed just 5 hits across 8 innings, striking out 9 and walking 1 batter. Only Tulowitzki was able to dent his armor, hitting a pair of homers. The first came with two outs in the 1st inning, and the second with two outs in the 3rd inning.
After manager Ryne Sandberg was tossed out in the top of the 9th arguing a check swing call, the Rockies’ Ben Paulsen lined a 2-run homer off Phils’ reliever Luis Garcia to provide the final scoring margin.
Since their 6-game winning streak a couple of weeks back, the Phils have now lost 8 of their last 10 to fall back into last place in the NL East. The two teams will meet again on Saturday afternoon in a 3:05pm start, with Aaron Harang taking the mound for the Phillies and Eddie Butler for the Rockies.