When Vince Velasquez is calm and composed [url=http://www.patriotsauthorizedshop.com]Patriots Game Jerseys[/url] , he’s tough to beat.

Velasquez took a no-hitter two outs into the seventh inning, Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams hit solo homers, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 9-3 Thursday.

Trevor Story lined Velasquez’s 105th pitch – a curve – to left for an RBI double, ending Velasquez’s bid for the fourth no-hitter in the majors this season.

”That was as confident as I’ve ever seen him,” manager Gabe Kapler said. ”His demeanor was calm and relaxed.”

Velasquez (5-7) got a standing ovation as he walked off the mound after the hit. The hard-throwing righty looked nothing like the pitcher who allowed 10 runs against the Brewers last Friday. He dominated the Rockies, giving up one hit and two runs with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

”I was comfortable all the way through,” he said. ”I just wanted to have a solid bounce-back.”

Velasquez retired 20 of the first 21 batters. He walked Gerardo Parra in the second and picked him off. Velasquez walked Carlos Gonzalez before Story’s double. Tommy Hunter entered and allowed an RBI single to Parra to cut Philadelphia’s lead to one run before getting the final out of the inning.

”That can be him every time out. He has that stuff,” Hoskins said of Velasquez.

The Phillies won a series for the first time since taking two of three from Atlanta on May 21-23. They’re 7-12 since.

Colorado has lost 10 of 13.

Rockies starter German Marquez (4-7) gave up six runs and seven hits in six-plus innings. Rockies manager Bud Black finally pulled Marquez with the bases loaded after 112 pitches.

”It’s a shame that Marquez got tagged with as many runs that he did,” Black said. ”He threw the ball pretty well.”

Hoskins drove a first-pitch fastball into the left-field seats to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the first. It was his eighth homer and second since returning last Saturday from a fractured jaw.

Williams lined his eighth homer out to right in the second for a 2-0 lead. He hit an opposite-field RBI double to left on an 0-2 pitch in the sixth to make it 3-0.

After the Rockies cut it to 3-2, the Phillies broke open the game with four runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Hoskins had an RBI double and Odubel Herrera and Carlos Santana followed with run-scoring singles. Hoskins added an RBI single in the eighth, finishing a triple shy of the cycle.

ROOKIE GOES DEEP

Colorado’s Ryan McMahon hit his first major league home run in the eighth off reliever Hector Neris.

STORY’S STREAKING

Story drove in his 50th run in his 68th game. He leads the NL in RBIs. Since June 1, Story is batting .388 (19-49) with seven doubles, three homers and 11 RBIs.

HONORING THOME

Jim Thome, who will enter the Hall of Fame in July, was honored before the game on the 14th anniversary of hitting his 400th homer in the first season of Citizens Bank Park.

OWNING THE SERIES

The Phillies are 44-25 against the Rockies since 2008.

HIT PARADE

The Phillies had 13 hits [url=http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com]Saints Game Jerseys[/url] , most since 13 on April 13 at Tampa Bay. Five players had multi-hit games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rockies: Reliever Adam Ottavino (oblique) was activated from the 10-day disabled list. Lefty Jerry Vasto was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Phillies: Reliever Pat Neshek (shoulder, forearm) and righty Jerad Eickhoff (numbness in fingers) were scheduled to throw bullpen sessions.

UP NEXT

Rockies: RHP Chad Bettis (4-1, 4.40 ERA) takes the mound in the opener of a three-game interleague series at Texas. LHP Yohander Mendez starts for the Rangers.

Phillies: RHP Jake Arrieta (5-4, 2.97 ERA) makes his second start against the Brewers in six days. Arrieta allowed five runs – four earned – in 5 1/3 innings in a 12-3 loss last Saturday.

—

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants will be out to avenge a series defeat on the road last week when they get a rematch with the Miami Marlins in a three-game set that begins Monday night.

The Marlins’ Caleb Smith (5-6, 3.75 ERA) and the Giants’ Andrew Suarez (2-4, 4.92), two young left-handers who dueled Wednesday in Miami, will square off again in the series opener.

Neither pitcher was part of the decision in the Marlins’ 5-4 win on Wednesday, a game in which the Giants blew 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 leads en route to a walk-off defeat.

Brian Anderson’s sacrifice fly off Giants closer Hunter Strickland ended the game, which was the Marlins’ third straight narrow victory to open the series.

The Giants salvaged a game in the finale Thursday, prevailing 6-3 in a 16-inning affair started by San Francisco’s Dereck Rodriguez and Miami’s Dan Straily, who are scheduled to hook up again Tuesday.

Smith allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings in his outing against the Giants last week. It was the first time he faced San Francisco in his career, leaving him with a 0-0 record and 4.26 ERA against them.

The 26-year-old left the team for personal reasons and was placed on the bereavement list later in the week, but he is expected to be reinstated to the active roster in time for Monday’s start.

The second-year major-leaguer has struggled on the road in his career [url=http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com]Giants Game Jerseys[/url] , going 3-5 with a 5.68 ERA. He has never pitched in San Francisco.

Among the eight hits he allowed Wednesday was a two-run homer by Andrew McCutchen, who had quite a series against the Marlins, going 7-for-20 with two doubles, two home runs, five runs scored and five RBIs in the three games.

Nick Hundley and Brandon Belt homered for the Giants in their 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, which allowed San Francisco to complete a 4-6 trip.

The Giants have won seven of their last eight home games.

San Francisco played Sunday without third baseman Evan Longoria, who suffered a broken hand Thursday. The Giants also are expecting to be without shortstop Brandon Crawford for the series against the Marlins.

Crawford is scheduled to go on paternity leave Monday, with the birth of his fourth child considered to be imminent.

It’s possible Giants fans will get to see Pablo Sandoval at shortstop in the series. It’s a move San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy indicated could be in the cards after Sandoval was pressed into emergency duty at second base when Joe Panik was injured last month.

“That decision hasn’t been made, until we take a look at Pablo taking a few ground balls at short.” Bochy said recently with a laugh,

Suarez was in line for his third win of the season when he was pulled from last week’s game after five innings with a 3-2 lead. He allowed two runs and five hits in his five innings.

It was the rookie’s first outing against the Marlins. He’s 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA against them.

Smith had two of the Marlins’ five hits off Suarez. He’s now 3-for-20, one of just 30 pitchers to have three or more hits this season.

The Marlins opened a nine-game trip by winning two of three at Baltimore, giving them five wins in their last six games They’ll play three at Colorado later in the week.