Hoskins' two dingers lift Phils over Rockies

The top of the sixth inning Saturday night at Coors Field looked like a total flameout for the Phillies.

Nick Maton doubled and Roman Quinn walked, but Aaron Nola failed to advance the runners on a bunt for the first out and Quinn got caught stealing third for the second. It felt like the Rockies had the momentum, especially after Nola allowed three runs, including a game-tying, two-out, two-run home run, in the bottom of the fifth.

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But after Andrew McCutchen walked to put runners on first and second, Rhys Hoskins ripped a three-run home run to right-center field in a 7-5 victory over the Rockies. It was a huge hit in a game the Phillies needed to win.

“Shoot, he’s crushing the ball right now,” said Phillies right-handed starter Aaron Nola.

Hoskins also ripped a 96 mph fastball down the heart of the plate from Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela in the third inning for a two-run home run to center field. The ball left Hoskins’ bat at 110.1 mph and traveled a projected 435 feet, according to Statcast. Hoskins tied a career-high five RBIs in his sixth career multi-homer game. He has four homers in his last four games. He is batting .300 (9-for-30) with a 1.077 OPS in his last seven.

He is batting .263 with seven doubles, six home runs, 12 RBIs and an .873 OPS this season, which includes a seven-game slump in the middle of the month.

“We’re still working, right?” Hoskins said. “It’s something that feels like it is getting better every single day. I think I said this earlier in the year, I’m just missing a lot less pitches right now. They’re still a little bit to clean up, and really just let the swing and the work and the prep show up in the games. I’m still fighting myself a little bit, but obviously I’m really happy with the results tonight.”

Hoskins can carry the Phillies for stretches. Maybe he is on another one of those runs.

The Phillies could use it. They are not clicking offensively as expected, and the Phillies’ bullpen has hit a bump recently with right-hander Archie Bradley on the injured list and left-hander José Alvarado not with the team because of COVID-19 protocols.

It explains why the Phillies’ victory moved them to 10-10 after a 5-1 start.

“Yeah, there’s a little bit of ‘all-over-the-place’ for sure,” Hoskins said. “We’ve kind of been a little bit of a roller coaster these first 20 games. But there’s not a lack of confidence. We still know the type of team that we think that we can be. I mean, baseball is a funny game, right? We’ve seen some weird stuff happen, and that’s kind of just how it goes sometimes. We’re reminding ourselves that it’s only been 20 games. Obviously, all these games are huge, but we’ve got a long way to go. If we can just keep that long-game mindset, I think the talent is going to show up over that period.”

It is impossible to know exactly where the Phillies will finish in the National League East. Hoskins’ numbers are more easily predictable. He might be streaky, but his hot streaks are really, really good.

His overall numbers are, too. Since he made his big league debut on Aug. 10, 2017, Hoskins entered Saturday ninth in baseball in home runs (95) and 37th out of 389 qualified hitters in OPS (.857).

“This guy has put a lot of hard work in,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said.

Nola said Hoskins’ homer in the sixth refocused him. It gave him an edge because the Phillies had the lead again. He needed to hold it, which he did. He allowed four runs in seven innings, which was a big deal because the Phillies are shorthanded in the bullpen.

“We know the talent that we have in that room,” Hoskins said. “I think a lot of people across the league do. It’s always a punch in the gut to lose the way that we did [Friday] night, especially with the performances that we got. We needed a win.”