The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Colorado Rockies 2-0 on Thursday afternoon, May 22, 2025, at Coors Field in Denver. With the win, they completed a four-game sweep in Colorado and a 7-0 season sweep overall—the first time the Phillies swept a four-game series at Coors Field and the first time they swept a team over a seven-game regular-season series. The Rockies fell to 8-42, the worst record in Major League Baseball, while the Phillies improved to 32-18, taking sole possession of the best record in the National League and moving two games ahead of the idle New York Mets in the NL East standings.
Ranger Suárez started for Philadelphia and pitched 6⅔ shutout innings. He allowed six hits, walked three batters, and struck out six. He threw 97 pitches—63 for strikes—and faced 27 hitters. Despite having only one 1-2-3 inning, he kept the Rockies off the scoreboard by avoiding deep counts and stranding runners in key situations. Suárez now has a 1.30 ERA over his last three starts, having given up just three earned runs in 20⅔ innings. Thursday’s outing was his third straight start of six or more innings and two earned runs or fewer.
Suárez’s success was helped in part by an unusually large and inconsistent strike zone from home plate umpire Jonathan Parra. In the bottom of the third inning, with runners on the corners and two outs in a scoreless game, Suárez threw a 92 mph four-seam fastball to Hunter Goodman that missed outside by at least two baseballs. Parra called it strike three. Rockies catcher Rafael Marchan had already started tossing the ball back to the mound, surprised by the call, while Goodman stood stunned at home plate. In the fifth inning, Parra called Jordan Beck out on a 91 mph sinker that was low and inside, well off the plate. Beck reacted angrily, and interim manager Warren Schaeffer ran out to keep him from being ejected.
The Phillies scored their first run in the top of the fourth inning. Bryson Stott reached base on a throwing error by Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. Two batters later, Bryce Harper drove a 1-1 pitch from Colorado starter Germán Márquez into the right-center gap for an RBI double. Stott scored from first, and Harper was left on base after Alec Bohm struck out to end the inning.
Harper finished the day 1-for-4 with his 13th double of the season and his 28th RBI. He extended his hitting streak to seven games, during which he is 14-for-28 (.500) with four doubles, one home run, and nine RBIs. In 21 games during May, Harper is batting .338 with a .400 OBP and .541 SLG. His current season slash line sits at .297/.367/.494.
Philadelphia added a second run in the top of the seventh. Kyle Schwarber led off the inning by drawing a five-pitch walk from Márquez. After a groundout and a strikeout, Max Kepler hit a first-pitch fastball into the right-field corner for a double. Schwarber, running on contact, scored from first to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. Kepler, who was slumping during a recent series against the Rays, Guardians, Cardinals, and Pirates, is now 5-for-13 with three doubles over his last four games.
Márquez, making his sixth start of the season for Colorado, pitched well despite taking the loss. He allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over seven innings, with one walk and six strikeouts. He threw 94 pitches, 66 for strikes.
After Suárez exited in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and two runners on base, Orion Kerkering entered and retired Goodman on one pitch—a pop-up to third base—to end the threat. Kerkering has now stranded all nine inherited runners this season. Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth inning on 15 pitches, recording two groundouts and a strikeout.
Jordan Romano came on in the ninth and secured the win. He struck out Charlie Blackmon on a 97 mph fastball and Brenton Doyle on a 90 mph slider before getting Goodman to fly out to center field. Romano has not allowed a run in his last nine outings, including six 1-2-3 innings. He now has six saves on the year.
Over the four-game series in Colorado, the Phillies outscored the Rockies 25-12. Combined with their three-game sweep earlier this season at Citizens Bank Park (April 15–17), they outscored Colorado 39-15 across all seven games. During the series in Denver, Philadelphia hit six home runs and collected 35 hits, while their pitchers held the Rockies to a .203 team batting average.
The Phillies capitalized on numerous Colorado mistakes. Over the series, the Rockies committed seven errors, made multiple throwing mistakes that allowed runners to advance, and were caught twice trying to take extra bases while trailing by four or more runs. On Thursday alone, the Rockies made one error and had another misplay that extended an inning.
Philadelphia’s offense has improved significantly since April. Through their first 25 games of the season, the Phillies averaged 4.4 runs per game with 21 home runs. In the 25 games since, they have averaged 5.3 runs and hit 32 home runs. In May, they ranked second in MLB in batting average (.280), tied for second in OBP (.340), and fourth in OPS (.789).
The Phillies’ rotation remains their biggest strength. Zack Wheeler is 5-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. Jesús Luzardo, acquired in the offseason, is 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA. Cristopher Sánchez is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA. Taijuan Walker, despite making just seven starts, has a 2.97 ERA. Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter is scheduled to throw 80–85 pitches next week for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He remains on track to join the big-league club around July.
Aaron Nola is currently on the injured list with a right ankle sprain. When he returns, the Phillies plan to move Walker to the bullpen to preserve his health. Manager Rob Thomson said Walker will stay in a relief role even if another starter gets injured. In two relief outings this season, Walker has pitched six innings with a 37.5% strikeout rate, a 4.2% walk rate, and a .182 opponent batting average.
The bullpen has steadied after a shaky start and the loss of José Alvarado to an 80-game suspension. Romano, Strahm, Kerkering, and Tanner Banks have formed a reliable core. The team may eventually move Suárez or another starter into the bullpen if Painter joins the rotation and everyone remains healthy.
The Phillies now travel to West Sacramento, California, to begin a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics at Sutter Health Park. The A’s are currently in last place in the AL West but feature a more potent offense than Colorado. After this road trip, the Phillies will return home to finish out the month of May with a series against the Atlanta Braves.
