Phillies rally in 9th to oust Rockies

Jayson Werth’s RBI single sent Philadelphia back to the NLCS for a rematch with the Dodgers.

DENVER (AP) — Chase Utley ducked near second base. The rest of the Philadelphia Phillies never flinched.

Ryan Howard hit a two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning and scored on Jayson Werth’s single as Philadelphia rallied past the Colorado Rockies 5-4 in Game 4 Monday night to reach the NL championship series.

Brad Lidge, bouncing back from a rugged regular season, earned his second consecutive save by again retiring cleanup batter Troy Tulowitzki with runners on second and first for the final out.

Tulowitzki, who flied out to conclude Game 3, struck out this time and the Phillies celebrated on the infield at chilly Coors Field before retreating to the clubhouse to spray champagne.

Next, the World Series champions play Thursday night against Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium in an NLCS rematch from last season. This marked the fourth straight year that none of baseball’s first-round series went to a winner-take-all Game 5.

“These couple of games have been kind of character builders,” Howard said.

After Dexter Fowler’s hurdle of Utley sparked Colorado’s three-run rally in the eighth, Howard and the Phillies responded with a three-run rally of their own against closer Huston Street.

Street was 35 of 37 on save chances this season, but took the loss in the ninth in Game 3 when he allowed Howard’s sacrifice fly to break a 5-all tie. He came in again to face the Phillies, and trouble ensued.

Jimmy Rollins singled with one out and Utley drew a two-out walk on a full count. Howard tied it with two strikes when he doubled up against the right-field wall and Werth followed with a soft single to right-center.

“We were a strike away from making a trip to Philadelphia,” lamented Rockies manager Jim Tracy, who went 74-42 after taking over from Clint Hurdle on May 29.

The Phillies, the NL’s best road team, swept both games at Coors Field, where the wild-card Rockies went 44-17 under Tracy’s tutelage.

The Rockies looked as if they were going to send the series back to Philadelphia when Yorvit Torrealba’s two-run double broke a 2-all tie in the eighth. That came after Fowler scored the tying run on pinch-hitter Jason Giambi’s two-out single.

Fowler hurdled Utley, who stepped into the basepath to field Todd Helton’s slow grounder, and his quick flip to second base was wide right and mishandled for an error by Rollins.

That put two on for Tulowitzki, and Ryan Madson relieved starter Cliff Lee in a double-switch that also brought in left fielder Ben Francisco to replace Raul Ibanez.

It paid an immediate dividend when Francisco raced in and made a diving catch of Tulowitzki’s bloop to left for the second out. But Francisco couldn’t get to Giambi’s single fast enough to keep Fowler from scoring the tying run from second base.

Then, Torrealba sent a two-run double to the gap in right-center for a 4-2 Rockies lead.

5, Rockies 4

PhiladelphiaColorado

abrhbiabrhbi

Rollins ss5020CGnzlz rf4020

Victorn cf5221Fowler cf4110

Utley 2b2110Helton 1b4210

Howard 1b4112Tlwtzk ss5011

Werth rf4122GAtkns 3b3000

Ibanez lf3000Giambi ph1111

Madson p0000Street p0000

Cairo ph-lf1000Beimel p0000

P.Feliz 3b4000Torreal c4022

C.Ruiz c4010S.Smith lf3000

Cl.Lee p3000Barmes 2b4000

BFrncs lf0000Jimenz p2010

Dobbs ph1000Splrghs ph1000

S.Eyre p0000FMorls p0000

Lidge p0000RBtncr p0000

Stewart 3b0000

EYong ph1000

Totals36595Totals36494

Philadelphia100001003—5

Colorado000001030—4

E—Ibanez (1), Rollins (1). DP—Philadelphia 2. LOB—Philadelphia 10, Colorado 9. 2B—Rollins (1), Howard (3), Tulowitzki (2), Torrealba (2). HR—Victorino (1), Werth (2). SB—Utley (2).

IPHRERBBSO

Philadelphia

Cl.Lee7 1-353135

Madson W,1-0 BS,2-2 2-321110

S.Eyre H,2 2-320000

Lidge S,2-2 1-300001

Colorado

Jimenez762227

F.Morales1-300031

R.Betancourt2-300000

Street L,0-2 BS,1-2 2-333311

Beimel1-300000

WP—Cl.Lee, Madson. Umpires—Home, Ron Kulpa; First, Angel Hernandez; Second, Tim Timmons; Third, Gerry Davis; Right, Jerry Meals; Left, Bob Davidson. T—3:41. A—49,940.