PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Kevin Millwood is going to be upset to see Veterans Stadium go.
Millwood worked six strong innings and Jason Michaels delivered a two-run double, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Millwood (3-1) rebounded from his first career loss at Veterans Stadium in his last outing by limiting the Rockies to one run and three hits. The righthander worked around four walks and struck out four.
In his career, Millwood is 7-1 with a 2.82 ERA at Veterans Stadium, which is in its final year. The Phillies move into a new stadium next season.
"I just like the stadium," Millwood said. "I like the mound. I enjoy being here, so it's a good place for me."
Three relievers combined to allow a run in three innings and Jose Mesa worked out of trouble in a scoreless ninth for his fourth save.
Making his second start of the season in center field, Michaels stroked a two-run double in the fourth off Darren Oliver (0-2), giving the Phillies a 5-0 lead.
Michaels matched a career high with three hits. He also accomplished the feat last May against Colorado.
"Bo (Phillies manager Larry Bowa) told me I was gonna be in there," Michaels said. "He said, 'Well, I'm gonna bat you second,' and I said, 'No big deal. Whatever.'"
Oliver was roughed up for five runs and eight hits in four innings. The veteran lefthander walked two and struck out two.
"It was a tough loss tonight," Oliver said. "Obviously, you want to go out there and be more consistent, give the team a better chance to win the ballgame. When you're down three or five runs, it's tough to come back."
Millwood also helped the Phillies get their offense going, leading off the fourth with a hard single to left field. Michaels singled one out later and Bobby Abreu follwed with a two-run double.
Pat Burrell made it three straight hits with an RBI double, extending the lead to 3-0. After Jim Thome walked, David Bell lined into an inning-ending double play.
The lead proved to be enough for Millwood, who had runners on in every inning except the first and fifth. In the fourth, the Rockies put two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Millwood retired Charles Johnson on a fly ball to right.
Johnson struggled the entire night, going 0-for-4 while stranding seven runners. He is batting just .163 on the season.
"I felt like I had a good game plan against him," Millwood said. "He's not an easy out by an means. I just felt like I made the pitches to him when I needed to."
The Phillies extended the lead to 5-0 in the fourth on Michaels' two-run double to right-center field.
Millwood ran into trouble in the sixth, issuing consecutive one-out walks to Todd Helton and Larry Walker and a run-scoring single to Preston Wilson. But Millwood struck out Jose Hernandez and got Johnson to fly out, ending the inning.
"We had some chances," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said. "Until the sixth inning, (Kevin) Millwood was as good as advertised."
"I thought my (performance) was OK," Millwood commented. "I don't think it was great. I felt like I walked more guys than I'd like to."
After Millwood departed, the Phillies' bullpen made things interesting as the Rockies put their first two runners on in each of the last three innings.
The Rockies only scored in one of the innings when Hernandez bounced into a forceout in the eighth to plate a run.
In the ninth, Mesa gave up a single to pinch hitter Gabe Kapler and walked Ron Belliard. But Mesa was able to work through the heart of the Colorado order, retiring Jay Payton, Helton and Walker.
"Tonight, we sort of dodged a bullet," Bowa said. "We walked seven and hit two guys. (But) they made the pitches when they had to."
