By Sam Bush
Being no-hit at home, as the 21-26 Phils were Sunday by the Dodgers’ Josh Beckett, is embarrassing enough, but it was also the seventh time they’ve been shut out this season, the second-most in the majors behind San Diego’s eight.
They’ve also been shut out in four of their last seven games at Citizens Bank Park, where they’re 9-14 on the season and 3-7 since May 5 with a .200 batting average. Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown are a combined 11 for 100 with 28 strikeouts during that home stretch.
“I have no clue. We keep coming every single day trying to figure it out,” said Marlon Byrd who has struck out eight times in his last four games. “When it doesn’t happen, we try to come out the next day and figure it out. We’re not getting there. Not here, not at home. I don’t know. I have no answers.”
The Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin may not need much support versus the Phillies, against whom he’s 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA in six career matchups, including four starts. Howard, Rollins, Byrd and Chase Utley are a combined 5 for 38 against him, though Utley’s .335 career average versus Colorado is his highest against a National League foe.
The Rockies (27-23) have also been slumping offensively recently, tallying eight runs in their last five road games after a 7-0 defeat to Atlanta Sunday. They appear to have avoided an even bigger loss, however, as Troy Tulowitzki said he was all right after exiting in the eighth inning. The majors’ batting leader walked off the field with a limp after hitting his left foot on his backswing.
Tulowitzki is 6 for 17 off Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick and 14 for 26 with 10 RBIs during an eight-game hitting streak against Philadelphia.
Kendrick (0-5, 4.53) is trying to snap a 16-start winless streak, which ties him with Jeff Samardzija for the third-longest active drought. He’s 0-10 with a 5.11 ERA since defeating the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 6. Kendrick’s 2.51 run-support average during that span is the second-lowest among pitchers with at least 90 innings.
He was charged with a season-worst six runs over 5 2-3 innings in a 14-5 loss at Miami on Wednesday. Opponents have tallied nine runs in the first inning in his last four starts, with the Marlins scoring twice in the first.
“It seems like every first inning that I’m giving up some runs,” Kendrick said. “I don’t understand where it’s coming from, but it needs to stop real soon.”
Kendrick is 3-3 with a 5.43 ERA in 12 games – 11 starts – against Colorado. He gave up three runs over seven innings in a 3-1 road loss on April 19.
