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(Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies both finished the 2007 season red-hot, but neither club has come out of the gate running this year. The two clubs will meet tonight for the first time since last season's National League Divisional Series, as the Rockies host the Phillies in the opener of a two-game set at Coors Field.
Colorado trailed in the standings for much of last year, but won 13 of its final 14 regular-season games -- including an 11-game win streak -- and then a one-game play-in with San Diego on October 1 to clinch the NL wild card.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, trailed the New York Mets by seven games on September 12, but the Mets struggled down the stretch and the Phillies won 13 of their last 17 to clinch the NL East on the season's final day.
That set up a meeting between the Rockies and the Phillies in the NLDS, and Colorado, which won four of seven against Philadelphia in the regular season, rolled to a three-game sweep of the Phils en route to a World Series appearance that ended in a sweep at the hands of Boston.
The Rockies got off to a poor start this year, losing five of their first six games to begin the year, but won a season-high four straight before Sunday's 6-4 setback to Houston.
The loss went to Brian Fuentes (0-1), who was charged with three runs on two hits and one walk in the eighth inning for Colorado.
Garrett Atkins hit a solo homer, while Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday had three hits apiece for the Rockies. Hawpe, Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki each drove in a run in the loss.
Left-hander Mark Redman did not pitch in the playoffs for Colorado last year, but is off to a decent start to this season. Redman, who will start tonight's opener, has won back-to-back starts after dropping his season debut and has a 4.60 earned run average.
He last toed the rubber on Wednesday against San Diego, getting the win behind five innings of two-run ball. He also gave up a season-low three hits while walking three.
The 34-year-old is 4-2 with a 3.96 ERA in seven games (6 starts) against the Phillies.
Holliday hit two home runs in the NLDS series versus the Phillies last year, including one in Game 2 off of Kyle Kendrick, who starts tonight for Philadelphia. Kendrick took the loss in that game after allowing five runs on five hits -- including two homers -- in just 3 2/3 innings.
The right-hander has struggled in back-to-back losses to fall to 1-2 with a 4.40 ERA this year. After walking six batters in a loss to the Mets on April 9, he issued just one free pass and four hits while surrendering two runs over seven innings of a setback to Houston on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old is 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA in two regular-season meetings with Colorado.
Kendrick is backed tonight, though, by one of the hottest hitters in the league right now in Chase Utley. Utley has homered in a career-best four straight contests, amassing five total in that span. That includes a pair of long balls in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Mets.
Utley went 3-for-3 to up his average to .351 and his eight homers on the year lead the majors. He knocked in four runs on Sunday to stake the Phils to a 4-0 lead that the club went on to blow. However, Pedro Feliz ripped a pinch-hit solo homer in the seventh inning to give the Phillies a victory that helped them avoid getting swept in the three-game series and get back within a game of .500 at 9-10.
Philadelphia played its first game since placing reigning NL MVP Jimmy Rollins on the disabled list for the first time in his career. Rollins suffered a left ankle sprain on April 8 against the Mets, but made four pinch-hit appearances since.
Rollins hit .344 (11-for-32) versus Colorado last year with two homers and four steals. He also homered in the NLDS, but hit only .182 (2-for-11) with three strikeouts in the series.
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