PHILADELPHIA
Chad Bettis thought he was now just four outs from a no-hitter before he turned around and saw nobody was there to field Cody Asche’s routine grounder.
Bettis retired the first 18 batters and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, Troy Tulowitzki hit two solo homers, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Friday night.
Asche singled through a shift to end Bettis’ no-hit bid with one out in the eighth. Bettis (2-0) lost a perfect game in the seventh when shortstop Tulowitzki made an error on Ben Revere’s grounder up the middle.
“Initially, I thought it was right at Tulo,” Bettis said of Asche’s hit. “I turned around and looked and I was like, ‘Oh, man!’ But there’s nothing you can do about that. That’s baseball.”
Colorado center fielder Charlie Blackmon made a sliding catch to rob Freddy Galvis of a hit after Revere’s grounder went through Tulowitzki’s legs leading off the bottom of the seventh. But Asche hit a sharp grounder that would have been a routine play for Tulowitzki except the two-time Gold Glove winner was shifted to the right-field side of second base.
“I align the defense,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “I felt we stole some outs with the shift. We’re playing the percentages.”
The 26-year-old Bettis allowed two hits and tied a career-high with seven strikeouts in eight innings in his 12th start in the majors.
Tulowitzki had two homers in 154 at-bats this season before going deep his first two times up against Cole Hamels (5-4). Ben Paulsen hit a two-run homer for the Rockies, who won for the fifth time in six games.
“I haven’t started off the way I envisioned, but (Friday) is why I play,” said Tulowitzki, who finished 4-for-4.
Hamels had won his last four starts. The Phillies have lost five in a row.
“He can definitely carry a team,” Hamels said of Tulowitzki. “He showed why he’s a great hitter.”
Tulowitzki drove an 0-1 pitch deep into the seats in left for a 1-0 lead in the first. He connected on a 1-2 pitch in the third, sending another drive into the seats in left.
Bettis took a shutout into the ninth in an 11-2 victory over San Francisco in his previous start last Sunday. The right-hander is 3-5 with a 5.77 earned-run average in 41 career appearances.
“He was coming off his best outing, and he topped it,” Weiss said.
Rockies rumpus
Rockies’ prospect David Dahl had surgery to repair his spleen after a collision in the outfield during a game Thursday for Double-A New Britain. ... Rockies pitcher Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 6.51) will make his first start since being scratched Tuesday because of a cut middle finger. De La Rosa is 2-4 with a 5.34 earned-run average against Philadelphia.
