It was his first-career three-home run game.
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On a hot, humid evening with a gametime temperature of 93 degrees and a heat index of 105, tempers flared in the fourth. Franco had homered off Anderson in his previous at-bat and took some time to admire it. Anderson was charged with four runs in three-plus innings of work.
Franco drilled Anderson’s first pitch, a changeup, into the seats in center.
Asked if he was mad, Franco said, “A little bit because I wasn’t expecting the ball coming”. Manager Walt Weiss was also ejected shortly thereafter.
“The pitcher was ejected for intentionally throwing at the hitter”, umpire crew chief Gary Cederstrom told a pool reporter after the game.
“I think my body is just feeling good”, he said. “It kind of looked like it”.
“It looked like we were a little low on fumes tonight”, Weiss said. “We don’t operate that way”.
Anderson proceeded to put a fastball into the knee of Franco in his next plate appearance, leading off the bottom of the fourth inning.
Anderson denied he was trying to hit Franco, but did say he was pitching more inside because Franco had scooted up on the plate. Dahl eventually came around the score, but Thompson got the next three outs of the inning by whiffing Ben Paulsen, Daniel Descalso and the pitcher, Jon Gray.
“We didn’t get the big hit”, Weiss said.
Cesar Hernandez had two hits and two runs scored, and Aaron Altherr and Cameron Rupp each added two hits.
Maikel Franco got the Philadelphia Phillies off to a fast start on Saturday night. The Rockies will be looking to avert a three-game sweep and halt a slide that has seen them lose six of their last seven contests.Colorado has won eight of nine road games started by Chatwood, who is 6-0 with a dazzling 1.30 ERA away from Coors Field.
Howard hit a grand slam and drove in five runs to help Jake Thompson earn his first major league victory, a 10-6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
Eickhoff went 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs and 10 hits while striking out three and walking two. Charlie Blackmon has hit 135 times with 76 runs, 18 homers and 57 RBI.
“It’s very impressive in the respect he was the last choice to be our closer, ” Mackanin said. “We had some opportunities. It’s been a good year for him”. “That’s when they do their damage, so I was just trying to get ahead as much as I could and try to keep making pitches and keep us in the game”.
“It was frustrating because I left a heavy weight for our bullpen to shoulder”, Anderson said. OF Carlos Gonzalez (left ankle sprain) didn’t play.
Phillies: RHP Jeremy Hellickson’s start scheduled for Wednesday has been pushed back tentatively to Saturday. He will be further evaluated before his next start is finalized. Manager Pete Mackanin said it is “unlikely” Eflin will pitch the rest of the season.
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Morgan was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make the start in place of rookie right-hander Zach Eflin, who is on the disabled list with soreness in both knees.
