Rockies dispose of the Phillies

DENVER -- The blackout at Coors Field was caused by a cranky computer. Blame the Philadelphia Phillies’ power outage on rookie Ubaldo Jimenez and a Colorado bullpen that has been lights out for three weeks.

The Rockies roared into the NL Championship Series on Saturday night, completing a three-game sweep by beating Philadelphia, 2-1, on pinch-hitter Jeff Baker’s tiebreaking single in the eighth inning.

Colorado’s 17th win in 18 games was fueled by Jimenez, the hard-throwing 23-year-old who gave up one run and three hits over 6 1/3 innings.

The wild-card Rockies get four days off before opening the NLCS on Thursday in Arizona, the first time two teams from the NL West have met in the league championship series.

The young Diamondbacks, also a big surprise this season, finished a first-round sweep of the Chicago Cubs earlier Saturday.

“How about that? Nobody expected the Diamondbacks and Rockies to be in the National League championship this year,” Rockies rookie Troy Tulowitzki said. “But here we are.”

This series was supposed to be a slugfest between the NL’s two highest-scoring teams -- in two of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball. But the Rockies put on a pitching performance that rivaled any in recent memory, shutting down Philadelphia’s sluggers time and time again.

They did it with a rotation that included ace Jeff Francis and two rookies, plus a bullpen that has become dominant over the last three weeks.

With two out in the eighth, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe hit consecutive singles off J.C. Romero to put runners at the corners.

After a conference on the mound, Romero stayed in and Baker sliced a 1-and-0 pitch between first baseman Ryan Howard and second baseman Chase Utley.

Manny Corpas, who has blown only one save in 22 chances since taking over as closer, pitched the ninth to close out Colorado’s first playoff series win in the franchise’s 15-year history. Corpas saved all three games in the series.

Jimenez’s only mistake was a hanging curveball that Shane Victorino sent into the right-field seats in the seventh to tie it, 1-1. It was the first hit he gave up since Howard’s single in the first inning.

After Carlos Ruiz followed Victorino’s homer with a single to left, right-hander Matt Herges came in and retired the next two batters.

Jimenez matched Jamie Moyer, Philadelphia’s 44-year-old left-hander who gave up one run and five hits in six innings and wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam unscathed in the second.

A cold front hit the stadium just moments before the Rockies took the field, dropping the temperature 15 degrees into the upper 50s, with gusty winds.

Things really got strange in the second inning when a computer malfunction caused the lights to go out while Victorino was up. The lights returned and play resumed 14 minutes later with winds gusting up to 39 mph inside the stadium, knocking down any ball to the outfield.

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Phillies vs. Rockies

Rockies win best-of-five series, 3-0

Game 1: Colorado 4, at Philadelphia 2

Game 2: Colorado 10, at Philadelphia 5

Game 3: at Colorado 2, Philadelphia 1