When the Phillies rolled into LoDo for the Rockies’ home opener, the result looked exactly like what one would expect between a World Series hopeful and a club coming off a historically inept 119-loss season.
It was a get-right game for Philadelphia, which arrived for the Denver baseball holiday following an uneven start to 2026. The Phillies blitzed Colorado starter Michael Lorenzen for a touchdown in the first inning en route to a dominant 10-1 win.
The seven runs yielded by Lorenzen before the Rockies had a chance to bat were the most runs allowed in the opening frame in 34 years of Colorado home openers. It was 3-0 before Lorenzen even got a single out, and by the time Brandon Marsh stepped to the plate with two men on, the game felt like it was about to spiral out of the Rockies’ reach.
That’s exactly what happened when Marsh blasted the longest homer of his career, a 454-foot no-doubter to right-center.
“I know (Lorenzen’s) stuff likes to fade to the outer half to lefties, so I was just pulling (my hands) in and pulling them up, and got the pitch right where I was looking at it,” Marsh said. “It was one of those ones where I didn’t feel it, so it was a good feeling. Credit to all the guys in front of me who got the whole inning jumping.
“… I definitely smelt a little blood in the water (when I stepped up).”
Colorado Rockies Michael Lorenzen (24) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field in Denver on Friday, April 3, 2026. Philadelphia won 10-1. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
The Rockies, who have now lost eight straight to Philadelphia dating back to last season, looked like a team that should be relegated compared to the two-time defending National League East champs, who have made four straight playoff appearances.
In the most lopsided home opener loss in Colorado history, Lorenzen — who pitched for the Phillies in the second half of 2023 following a deadline trade from Detroit — got rocked. He allowed a career-high 12 hits, also a record by a single pitcher in a Rockies home opener, and his three innings pitched was the shortest start in the club’s home opener history.
“I mean, 76 pitches in the first three innings, 44 in the first — that’s having good at-bats by those numbers,” Phillies manager Rob Thompson said. “I know Michael, he’s a gamer, he’s a good teammate. He’s going to take the ball and keep going, and he sucked it up for them today (by pitching the second and third innings). I love the kid, but we did have good at-bats today.”
After Trea Turner led off the game with a double, the Phillies got a pair of patient at-bats from their two sluggers, as both Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper walked.
Those were key to Philadelphia opening the floodgates in an inning puncuated by Marsh’s homer. Harper also homered off Lorenzen, a 421-foot shot to right-center to lead off the second, and the Phillies manufactured another run off Lorenzen in the third to make it 9-0.
“We waited it out well (against Lorenzen),” Harper said. “When he threw it over the plate, we hit it hard.”
All three of the Phillies’ homers on Friday were scorchers.
Marsh’s was 106.1 mph off the bat, while Harper’s was 108.9 and Schwarber — who went deep to right off long reliever Valente Bellozo in the fifth — hit the hardest (110.7) and longest (460 feet) ball of the game as extra salt in the wound.
Meanwhile, Phillies ace Aaron Nola turned in a “vintage Nola” performance, shortstop Trea Turner said. In a quality start that went six-plus innings, the right-handed veteran allowed one run and walked one while scattering five hits and notching nine strikeouts. With that, he lowered his career ERA against Colorado to 3.05 in a dozen starts.
Nola said he was unfazed by taking the mound with a huge lead.
“I enjoy this stadium — it’s really beautiful and it’s one of my favorites,” Nola said. “Home openers in the opposing stadium are awesome to pitch in. (A seven-run lead in the first) does take pressure off, but I try my hardest not to lose my focus one bit. I tried to pitch like it was a 0-0 ballgame.”