Major League Baseball

LeMahieu, Arenado power Rockies past skidding Phillies 4-1

Published May. 31, 2015 4:59 p.m. ET

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) There's no secret to the Rockies' recent success. A combination of good pitching and hitting is always a winning recipe.

DJ LeMahieu homered and had three hits, Nolan Arenado also went deep and Colorado beat Philadelphia 4-1 on Sunday to hand the Phillies their season-worst seventh consecutive defeat.

Chris Rusin (1-0) replaced injured starter Jordan Lyles with one out in the second and pitched 4 2-3 scoreless innings to help the Rockies win their fourth straight and seventh in eight games.

''We're just playing good ball right now,'' Arenado said. ''We're pitching great, we're driving in runs when we need to and we've had a lot of success doing that. ... And it's a lot of fun.''

The Phillies' losing streak is their longest since dropping eight in a row in July 2013. Philadelphia was swept at home by Colorado for the first time in club history.

Offense continued to be a problem for the Phillies, who have scored 12 runs during their skid. They finished with seven hits.

''We weren't able to do anything on the offensive side of things and are struggling with the bats collectively,'' manager Ryne Sandberg said.

Lyles re-aggravated an injury to his left big toe, which he sprained in his previous start, when he tried to avoid Cody Asche's line-drive single up the middle.

Rockies manager Walt Weiss and a trainer came to the mound, and Lyles threw one warmup toss before Weiss patted him on the back and took the ball. It was the third start in the last four that Lyles left due to injury. He exited May 13 with a bruised pitching hand.

Rusin came in and shut down Philadelphia. The left-hander was recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday to fill in for injured Jorge De La Rosa and pitched well, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings. Rusin stayed around as a potential emergency starter for either De La Rosa, who missed his second straight start Saturday with a cut on the middle finger of his pitching hand, or Lyles.

''He knew he had to be ready to go,'' Weiss said. ''He did another great job for us.''

Colorado has permitted just 16 earned runs in its last eight games. The Rockies have averaged 5.7 runs in their seven wins during that stretch.

''The hitting's been good, but the pitching has been the biggest key,'' Weiss said. ''Historically, this trip has been tough on us, so a sweep here is a big accomplishment.''

Colorado rookie Scott Oberg pitched a scoreless ninth for his first career save.

Phillies starter Jerome Williams (3-5) capped a forgettable month, allowing four runs and eight hits in five innings. He finished 1-4 in May with a 6.62 ERA in seven starts.

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the first when Arenado followed LeMahieu's single with a drive to deep left-center. It was the fifth homer in the last seven games for Arenado.

Philadelphia got its lone run in the second on Cameron Rupp's RBI double.

LeMahieu's two-run homer to left in the fifth made it 4-1.

Rusin allowed only two doubles until loading the bases with none out in the seventh on a walk and two singles. But right-hander Brooks Brown kept the Phillies off the scoreboard, striking out Rupp, pinch-hitter Darin Ruf and Ben Revere in order on 11 pitches.

''I'll take it,'' Brown said. ''There wasn't much room because I couldn't pitch around anybody.''

ROLLIN' NOLAN

Arenado is batting .429 with 14 RBIs in his last seven games. His success is no surprise to Weiss.

''He's always been clutch and he's always been a good hitter,'' Weiss said. ''It's really not surprising what he's doing. He could always hit.''

COMING UP EMPTY

Philadelphia entered in an 0-for-21 slide with runners in scoring position and went 1 for 7 on Sunday.

''You have little bumps, but we're going to compete and look forward to the next game,'' Revere said. ''We can't turn our backs on each other. We have to keep competing.''

TRAINER'S ROOM

Rockies: LF Ben Paulsen was replaced in the bottom of the third after suffering a migraine. Brandon Barnes took his place.

Phillies: Sandberg rested healthy SS Freddy Galvis, who has three hits in his last 31 at-bats.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Kyle Kendrick (2-6, 6.38 ERA) opposes LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-3, 3.86) when the Rockies open a series at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. Kendrick is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in two starts against the Dodgers this season.

Phillies: After an off day, RHP Sean O'Sullivan (1-4, 4.81) takes the mound for Philadelphia in the first of a three-game series against the Reds on Tuesday night. O'Sullivan, who will face RHP Johnny Cueto (3-4, 3.03), has a 6.94 ERA in his last two outings.

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