Rockies lose 6-0 lead, but bounce back to beat Phillies in 11th inning

Rockies Report, Game 37:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: An eighth-inning bullpen collapse led to the evaporation of a 7-2 lead, but the Rockies rallied for a pair of 11th-inning runs to snatch a 9-7 series-opening win at Philadelphia on Friday night.

Troy Johnston’s 11th-inning pinch-hit leadoff double scored Willi Castro from second base; two batters later, Johnston came home on an RBI single from Jake McCarthy. Those two runs held up in the bottom of the frame when Juan Mejia overcame a leadoff single to preserve the lead and earn the save.

🗣️ TROY pic.twitter.com/ruVNyKnkrA

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) May 9, 2026

Mejia and Victor Vodnik combined for three scoreless innings after the eighth-inning collapse, which began when Brennan Bernardino yielded a pair of singles that were sandwiched with a walk. Jimmy Herget entered and delivered a wild pitch en route to striking out J.T. Realmuto, then surrendered a 2-RBI double to Bryson Stott that pulled the Phillies within 7-5.

Five pitches later, Justin Crawford capitalized off a sweeper that settled in the middle of the strike zone, nudging it over the right-field wall for his first major-league home run to knot the game at 7-apoece.

With that, a lead that had once been 6-0 was gone.

Most of the damage to put th eRockies out in front came in a five-run fourth inning, with Hunter Goodman’s 2-run homer and Kyle Karros’ 2-RBI double providing most of the work. Ezequiel Tovar also pitched in with an RBI single.

A Tyler Freeman solo homer in the seventh extended the lead to 7-2 in the seventh inning before the Phillies rallied.

Colorado improved to 16-23.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Chase Dollander finished just one out shy of a quality start, and lost the win when the game got away from the bullpen in the eighth inning, but the game was at times frustrating, as he had to navigate a career-high five walks in order to escape big trouble.

“Today for Chase, he had to battle command issues, but his stuff is so good that he was able to stay in it. He competed and he kept grinding without his best command,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer told media after the game.

Schaeffer opted to have Dollander start rather than use an opener, as has been the case for most of Dollander’s appearances this season. This was only Dollander’s second start of the season; his previous one came in the doubleheader against the New York Mets 12 days earlier.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Mejia got Bryce Harper to ground out on a 1-2 sweeper in the 11th inning for the final out.

NUMBER TO NOTE: .448 — Johnston’s average with runners in scoring position after his 11th-inning double; he’s 13-for-29 in that situation this season.

WHAT’S NEXT: Kyle Freeland gets the call for the second game of the series; Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. MDT.

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