Anderson Ejected In Rockies' Loss To Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Tyler Anderson and the Colorado Rockies had a lot of trouble with Maikel Franco.
Anderson gave up a three-run homer to Franco in the first inning, then was ejected after hitting the Phillies slugger the next time up Saturday night in a 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
On a hot, humid evening with a gametime temperature of 93 degrees and a heat index of 105, tempers flared in the fourth.\
Anderson plunked Franco on the knee with his first pitch. Franco stayed at home plate and stared out at Anderson while players from both teams barked at each other. Anderson moved toward Franco and appeared to tell him to go to first base and that he didn't hit him on purpose.
"He was just on the plate a little more than he was last time, so we wanted to go in and try to open up the outer half a little more, which is part of pitching," Anderson said. "It happens all the time. I think he knows it wasn't intentional."
Asked if he was mad, Franco said, "A little bit because I wasn't expecting the ball coming."
No punches were thrown, but both Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected by plate umpire Eric Cooper. Anderson had to be restrained while walking angrily back to the dugout with shouts directed toward Cooper.
Crew chief Gary Cederstrom told a pool reporter afterward that Cooper ejected Anderson without any prior warnings because the umpire felt the pitcher intentionally threw at Franco.
"I don't know whether he hit him on purpose or not," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It kind of looked like it. I'm not going to argue with the umpire."
Both Weiss and Anderson said the pitcher merely was trying to pitch inside.
"It doesn't look good, but he definitely wasn't trying to hit him," Weiss said. "We don't operate that way."
Philadelphia had two batters hit by pitches, the Rockies got hit once. Although Cederstrom said warnings were issued to both teams following the ejections, nothing came of the subsequent two hit batters.
Asked if there was any correlation between the hit batsmen, Weiss said, "None whatsoever."
Cesar Hernandez had two hits while extending his on-base streak to 20 straight games for the Phillies, who won their third straight.
Daniel Descalso and Tony Wolters homered for Colorado, which has lost six of seven. Carlos Gonzalez extended his major league-leading hitting streak to 19 games. The Rockies lost despite outhitting Philadelphia 13-6.
"We didn't get the big hit," Weiss said. "We had some opportunities. We scattered our hits. We didn't get the big one, to put up a big inning. We were grinding offensively, but we just couldn't get the timely one."
Jerad Eickhoff (8-12) won despite giving up three runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Jeanmar Gomez got his 30th save.
Franco hit his 21st homer, stopping an 0-for-10 rut by connecting off Anderson (4-4).
Freddy Galvis singled home Franco in the fourth to make it a four-run advantage.
The Rockies climbed back in the sixth when Descalso's two-run shot and Wolters' solo homer pulled them within 4-3.
NEW STREAK
David Dahl doubled twice for the Rockies. He was hitless Friday night, stopping his major league-tying 17-game hitting streak to start a career.
QUICK NIGHT
Anderson's outing was the shortest of the 26-year-old's career and snapped a string of eight straight starts with at least six innings.
"It's just frustrating because your job as a starting pitcher is to give us a chance, and I obviously didn't do that today," he said. "Three innings and then putting a big, heavy weight on the bullpen's shoulders because of that. It's really disappointing."
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rockies: Gonzalez (left ankle sprain) made his first start since Monday.
UP NEXT
The teams complete the three-game series Sunday when Phillies LHP Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65) faces RHP Tyler Chatwood (10-7, 3.58). Morgan is begin recalled from Triple-A to fill Eflin's spot in the rotation.
- By AARON BRACY, AP Sports Writer
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