Seidman's Instant Replay: Phillies 7, Rockies 2

Facing a team that has struggled as much on the road as they have at home this season, the Phillies took care of business by beating the Rockies, 7-2, in a complete team win.

It began a 10-game homestand that also features the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates.

It was the kind of game Cole Hamels needed, the kind of game the Phillies needed. Hamels tossed eight strong innings, the Phils hit, walked, homered and played error-free baseball. It was a night of all-around execution, especially with two outs. The Phillies (32-37) scored six of their seven runs with two outs.

Starting pitching report
Hamels picked up his first quality start in his last five outings by allowing the Rockies two runs over eight innings to improve to 10-3 on the season. R.A. Dickey of the Mets (11-1) is the only pitcher in either league with more wins.

Hamels started the game off shaky, throwing first-pitch strikes to just two of the first nine batters he faced. But after walking Colorado pitcher Josh Outman in the second inning, Hamels retired 13 batters in a row. He then recovered from a brief two-out Rockies rally in the sixth to pitch a 1-2-3 seventh inning, and stranded a leadoff double in his final inning of work.

The reeling Rockies began an experiment Tuesday of using their least effective starting pitchers for only 75 or so pitches. Outman, whose 8.41 ERA fits that description, allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings and exited after 72 pitches.

Bullpen report
Chad Qualls pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Qualls hasn't been charged with a run in nine of his last 10 outings.

At the plate
John Mayberry’s two-run homer to left field off Outman in the fourth inning gave the Phillies the lead for good, but another All-Star night from Carlos Ruiz helped them pile on. Ruiz hit an RBI double in the fifth and lined a two-run homer in the seventh. Placido Polanco drove in the Phils’ first run with an RBI double, and Hunter Pence added an RBI groundout.

Jimmy Rollins was 2 for 2 with two walks. It was the 78th time in his career he’s walked at least twice in a game and, oddly enough, the 78th time he’s reached base at least four times.

Rollins also scored three runs for the 46th time in his career. The Phillies are 40-6 in those games.

Mayberry homered and doubled against two different lefties. He’s batting .278 with a .569 slugging percentage this season against southpaws.

In the field
Shane Victorino gunned Chris Nelson down at second base on a deep single to center to end the top of the sixth. Nelson’s hit plated Colorado’s second run, but Victorino’s outfield assist saved Hamels and the Phils from further harm. The Rockies would have had the tying run in scoring position at that point.

With a man on third and two outs in the eighth, Jimmy Rollins made a typically brilliant defensive play in the hole and uncorked a strong throw to Ty Wigginton at first base, who scooped it on a short-hop to end the inning.

Attendance
A crowd of 44,329 was on hand for Citizens Bank Park’s 236th consecutive sellout.

Galvis’ suspension
Injured rookie second baseman Freddy Galvis was suspended 50 games Tuesday after testing positive for a metabolite of Clostebol, a performance-enhancing drug that violates the league's banned substance program (see story).

Galvis is on the DL with a pars fracture in his back, and the time missed by the suspension will overlap with games he would have missed anyway.

Health check
Prior to Tuesday’s game, GM Ruben Amaro offered injury updates on seven Phillies. David Herndon had Tommy John surgery and could be out anywhere from 12-to-14 months (see story). There was positive news on Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Justin De Fratus, a setback for Laynce Nix and the possibility of exploratory surgery on Michael Stutes’ right shoulder, which hasn’t improved the way the Phillies had hoped.

Roster move
The Phillies optioned catcher Erik Kratz back to Triple A Lehigh Valley after the game. A corresponding roster move will be made Wednesday.

Up next
Joe Blanton (6-6, 4.93) takes on Alex White (2-5, 5.56) Wednesday night in Game 2 of the three-game series. Blanton is coming off his second complete game of the season. White is a 23-year-old former first-round pick who was acquired by Colorado from Cleveland last July as part of a trade for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.

E-mail Corey Seidman at cseidman@comcastsportsnet.com