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Apr 3, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) delivers a pitch in the seventh against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Colorado Rockies fans assuredly did not have high expectations for the 2026 season. The team lost 119 games in 2025, and they didn’t seem to significantly upgrade the roster in the offseason. So, when the fans sat down to watch their home opener against the Phillies on Friday afternoon, it’s not like most of them had dreams of watching a pennant winner.
But they probably hoped for a little more than this. By the time they got situated in their seats, the Phillies had already jumped out to a 7-0 lead. In what may serve as a harbinger of things to come at Coors Field this season, the visiting team cruised to a 10-1 victory.
Quite a few Phillies batters were off to slow starts to the season, but there was nothing slow about their start on Friday. Facing former teammate Michael Lorenzen, Trea Turner led off the game with a double, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper followed with walks, and Alec Bohm got two of those runners home with a single.
A Bryson Stott double scored another run before Brandon Marsh buried a ball deep into the stands to make it 6-0.
Still thinking about how far Brandon Marsh hit this baseballpic.twitter.com/TE7iFRDQ5V
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 3, 2026
The Phillies still weren’t done. J.T Realmuto hit a double, although it was really a pop up that former Phillie Mickey Moniak lost in the sun. When reading up on the Rockies, I saw someone describe Moniak as the worst defensive outfielder in the game. (Nick Castellanos, hold my beer!) Moniak had a .824 OPS in 2025, but was still worth negative wins above replacement, which is really tough to do. (At least some team wasn’t dumb enough to choose him with the top overall pick in the draft, right?)
Turner’s second hit of the inning drove home Realmuto to make it 7-0.
-0 In the second inning, Harper put another ball into the seats, marking his second straight game with a home run, and quieting some of the worry about his slow start to the season.
They tacked on another run in the third when an Alec Bohm infield single (those are words you don’t see very often) allowed Turner to come home after his third hit of the game.
The Phillies concluded their scoring in the fifth when Schwarber managed to outdo Marsh by hitting a ball 460 feet.
Friday also served as a “get right” game for Aaron Nola. Nola and Lorenzen were teammates on the Italian team in the World Baseball Classic, and unlike Lorenzen, Nola had a terrific outing. His curveball looked sharp, and he kept the ball in the yard. He allowed one run in 6.1 innings to go along with nine strikeouts.
On the other hand, Lorenzen was the one to make history.
The Phillies now find themselves on a three-game winning streak, and most of their players should be feeling much better about themselves. They’ll be back in action on Saturday afternoon with Taijuan Walker on the mound. Like Nola, Walker is hoping for a rebound after a poor season debut. While it would be great if that happens, it would also be great if the Phillies could have their bats stay hot.
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