1,2,3 Kids

By Eric Redner
The Phanatic Magazine

Jeff Baker's pinch-hit single in the eighth drove in the game-winning run as the Colorado Rockies completed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series with a 2-1 win at Coors Field.

Colorado took the lead with a two-out rally in the eighth. After Tom Gordon got the first out of the inning, J.C. Romero took the mound. He got Todd Helton to fly out, but Garrett Atkins hit a single to left that dropped in front of Jayson Werth. Brad Hawpe followed with a ground ball single to deep second base that Atkins moved to third on. Baker then hit a single to right to chase home Atkins for a 2-1 lead.

Manny Corpas retired the Phillies in order in the ninth to secure the win and pick up his third straight save.

Kaz Matsui, who was the hero of Game 2 with a grand slam and five RBI, went 2- for-3 in Game 3 with an RBI, while Yorvit Torrealba went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Rockies, who won their first postseason series since the club came into existence in 1993.

Colorado will next face Arizona in the National League Championship Series. The Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the Cubs with a 5-1 win earlier on Saturday.

"How about that? Nobody expected the Diamondbacks and Rockies to be in the National League championship this year," said shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. "But here we are."

The series is slated to start on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. (et) in Arizona.

The Rockies have now won 17 of their last 18 games overall.

"I'm getting such a kick out of this," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "This is the best time I've had in baseball."

The only previous time the Rockies made the playoffs was in 1995, when the club was beaten by Atlanta in four games in the NLDS.

Brian Fuentes (1-0) got the win for pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Ubaldo Jimenez made his first postseason start on the mound and gave up just one run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Shane Victorino got the Phillies only run on a solo homer in the seventh. Romero (0-1) got the loss while Jamie Moyer gave up just one run on five hits in six innings of work. The team managed just three hits in the game and eight runs in the entire series.

"It's definitely not where we wanted to be," said Victorino. "I wish it could have been us moving on, but that team is a hot team. It's gonna hurt."

This was Philadelphia's first postseason appearance since 1993, when the team lost to Toronto in six games in the World Series.

Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard went a combined 1- for-14 with three walks and six strikeouts.

"We were a little tight," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "We were chasing balls out of the strike zone early in the game. Their bullpen in the series was outstanding. We have one of the best offenses in baseball and they shut us down."

The Phillies put runners at the corners in the first inning, but with two outs Aaron Rowand swung at a pitch in the dirt for strike three to end the frame.

After Colorado went down in order in the first, the lighting in the stadium went out and play was stopped for 14 minutes.

The Rockies threatened in the second, loading the bases with two outs. Jimenez hit a slow grounder to third that Wes Helms barehanded and threw to first base a step ahead of Jimenez for the third out of the inning.

After giving up the single to Howard with two outs in the first, Jimenez retired the next 11 Philadelphia batters before issuing a one-out walk to Carlos Ruiz in the first. But he got Abraham Nunez to hit into a double play to end the frame.

The Rockies grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fifth. After Ryan Spilborghs grounded out to start the inning, Torrealba punched a single to left. Jimenez moved Torrealba to second on a sacrifice bunt and Matsui followed with a triple just out of the reach of Burrell in left field. Torrealba easily made it home for a 1-0 lead.

The Phillies tied the game in the top of the seventh. With one out, Victorino smacked an 0-2 pitch into the right field stands. Carlos Ruiz followed with a single to chase Jimenez from the game and Matt Herges took the mound.

Herges got pinch-hitters Greg Dobbs and Tadahito Iguchi out to end the inning.

Burrell almost gave the Phillies the lead in the eighth as he hit a long fly ball that appeared to be staying fair, but the wind carried it just left of the left field foul pole.