This Was Pleasant: Phillies 9, Rockies 3

Baseball can actually be fun!

On Thursday afternoon, a combination of nice weather, blue uniforms, Jim Thome, Vince Velasquez, and a surprisingly effective lineup gave Phillies fans an enjoyable afternoon at the ballpark as the home team defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-3.

Here are some of the highlights:

Jim Thome in the House

On the anniversary of his 400th home run, the Phillies honored the Hall of Famer with a pregame ceremony. Later on, he and the Phanatic teamed up to provide free food to the fans in attendance:

My new goal in life is to accomplish something special enough for an organization to allow me to shoot hot dogs out of a giant cannon.

Vince Enjoys the Powder Blues

Vince Velasquez has had some trouble at Citizens Bank Park this season, as his home ERA entering the day was an atrocious 7.85. However, the last time he pitched on Throwback Thursday, he delivered a strong start. With the Phillies once again garbed in blue, would he be able to match that performance?

Velasquez held the Rockies without a hit until the seventh inning, and struck out six in his 6.2 innings of work. He allowed two runs, one of which was because Tommy Hunter could not strand an inherited runner.

The Killer H’s

Earlier this season, Rhys Hoskins suffered through a prolonged slump. In recent weeks, Odubel Herrera was languishing in a slump of his own. But on Thursday afternoon, both men contributed to the team’s nine run output.

Hoksins got the Phillies started with a solo homer in the first inning. He added an RBI double in the seventh and an RBI single in the ninth. As for Herrera, he showed signs that he might be putting his slump behind him with a two hit day, including this RBI single:

Nick Williams also had a big day (2-3 2 RBIs), but since neither his first nor last name begin with H, he is not included in the “Killer H’s.” Sorry, Nick.

The Phillies Didn’t Let Up

In the seventh inning, this game started to take on an uncomfortably familiar feel to it. After being shut down for most of the day, the Rockies scored two runs to make it a one-run game. We’ve seen plenty of instances where the Phillies offense doesn’t respond in such situations. But on Thursday, that wasn’t the case.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Rockies gifted the Phillies a run thanks to a bases loaded passed ball. and consecutive hits by Hoskins, Herrera, and Carlos Santana added three more. They even added solo runs in the eighth and ninth for good measure.

Even the Phillies bullpen was able to hold on to a seven-run lead without too much angst.

This Was Needed

The Phillies’ schedule over the next two weeks is imposing. With series against the Brewers, Nationals, and Yankees looming, the Phillies needed to rack up some wins against a lesser team like the Rockies. This series win will hopefully provide them some momentum as they head into the upcoming gauntlet.