For four innings, the Phillies took a bunch of bad swings against Rockies ace lefty Jeff Francis. But, in the fifth, Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell hit the first back-to-back homers in Phillies playoff history, cutting the margin to one. Burrell's homer was a classic Citizens Bank Park wall-scraper that landed just over the left-field wall in the flower pots. Somewhere, I'm sure John Smoltz was cringing.
Hamels has settled down since the second inning. Interesting matchup, Hamels vs. Francis. They were both first-round picks in 2002. The Rockies took Francis with the 9th overall pick. Hamels went 17th overall to the Phils. Francis got to the big leagues faster, arriving at the end of 2004. Hamels, of course, was slowed by injuries and didn't debut for the Phillies until last season. But they both had big 2007 seasons. Francis went 17-9 with a 4.22 ERA. Hamels went 15-5 with a 3.39.
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