Rocky Mountain Low For Pounded Phils Mike Williams Yielded Three Home Runs In The First Inning. Things Didn't Get Much Better From There.

June 15, 1996|By Phil Sheridan, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

DENVER — Some losses are more painful, to play in and to watch, than others.

The Phillies' ugly 10-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies last night was made uglier by a collision between second baseman Mickey Morandini and rightfielder Glenn Murray. While converging on a pop-up in short right, Morandini's forehead struck Murray in the right cheekbone.

``It was pretty nasty,'' said first baseman Gregg Jefferies, who was closing in on the ball but held up. ``I heard Glenn at the tail end and stopped. It was pretty bad. I hope they're OK.''

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Murray and Morandini remained on the ground for a few unsettling minutes. They walked off the field with help from trainers and coaches. Morandini had a cut over his right eye and complained of pain in his shoulder, manager Jim Fregosi said.

``I think they were both out a little bit,'' Fregosi said.

During the game, an ambulance backed into the tunnel near the Phillies' clubhouse. Morandini and Murray were taken out on stretchers and driven to nearby Rose Medical Center for observation. There was no word on their condition last night.

A third player, Jim Eisenreich, left the game after fouling a pitch off his right knee in the second inning.

``They're falling like flies,'' outfielder Pete Incaviglia said. ``It's unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it.''

Morandini ``was coherent out there,'' Incaviglia said. ``I just hope it's nothing more than some bumps and bruises.''

The injuries led Fregosi to use all of his available position players by the sixth inning and the unavailable one in the ninth. It was a game in which the Phillies fielded poorly, a game in which they hit well for exactly one inning, and a game in which starting pitcher Mike Williams gave up three home runs in the first inning and six runs altogether and didn't even take the loss.

That distinction went to reliever Russ Springer, who gave up a single and two doubles before retiring a batter, but did the most damage by fielding a grounder, trapping Jayhawk Owens in a rundown, and then throwing the ball into left field. Owens scored on the play, which set up Dante Bichette's two-run single.

``He screwed up the rundown,'' Fregosi said, ``and he made some bad pitches.''

Springer (1-6) gave up four runs, three unearned, in two-thirds of an inning. Williams gave up six runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

In all, Fregosi used 13 position players - shortstop Mike Benjamin, resting a bruised leg, made the last out as a pinch-hitter - and four pitchers.

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