Another Rough Start for Nick Pivetta in Phillies' Loss to Rockies

BOX SCORE

This one all came down to starting pitching. Tyler Anderson was sharp. Nick Pivetta was not.

The Phillies' modest two-game winning streak ended Wednesday night in a 7-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.

Anderson, a lefty, handcuffed the Phillies with seven innings of one-run ball. He held the Phillies to six hits, walked none and struck out six.

Pivetta, meanwhile, saw his recent struggles continue as he was tagged for eight hits and six runs in five innings of work. The right-hander walked three.

Pivetta opened the season with a 3.26 ERA in his first 11 starts. He has given up 13 earned runs in 14 innings over his last three starts.

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The Rockies entered the game having lost nine of 11 and five in a row. However, they showed signs of awakening when they stroked five hits and scored three runs in the ninth inning of Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Phillies.

The Rockies continued to wake up in this one. They scored a single run against Pivetta in the first inning and five in the fourth inning. Pivetta gave up a walk, two singles, a double and a two-run homer to Ian Desmond in that inning.

Rookie catcher Jorge Alfaro accounted for the Phillies' first run with a solo homer against Anderson in the fifth inning. Rookie Jesmuel Valentin got the start in right field and had three of the Phillies' seven hits. He doubled twice and stroked his first big-league homer with two outs in the ninth inning.

Scott Kingery batted third and struck out four times.

The Phillies have lost 11 of 16 games since briefly rising to first place in the NL East on May 26. They are 34-31.

Notes
• Slumping Odubel Herrera got the night off. His batting average has dipped from an NL-best .361 to .283 in a span of 23 games.

• Maikel Franco, who had not been in the starting lineup for five straight games, got the nod at third base against the lefty Anderson. Franco had previously been 3 for 7 with a homer against Anderson. He went hitless in four at-bats in this game. Franco has lost playing time to J.P. Crawford and will likely continue to do so as the Phillies get a look at Crawford at third base.

• The series concludes on Thursday afternoon with Vince Velasquez (4-7 4.95) facing Colorado right-hander German Marquez (4-6, 4.79). The Phillies will honor Jim Thome before the game in advance of his July induction to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

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