Youth served the Rockies perfectly well Friday night at Coors Field.

Rookie left-hander Christian Friedrich pitched one of the best games of his infant career and rookie Josh Rutledge drove in two runs in his big-league debut as the Rockies beat the Phillies 6-2.

The 2-hour, 37-minute game provided the 33,346 fans with a rare slice of clean, crisp baseball from the Rockies.

“Christian Friedrich pitched his best game since back in that game at San Francisco,” manager Jim Tracy said, referring to Friedrich’s seven-inning, one-run, six-hit gem at AT&T Park on May 14.

Turning point. Rutledge’s opening night was a smash. The shortstop, called up from Double-A prior to the game, drove in Michael Cuddyer for the game’s first run, lining Cliff Lee’s pitch to center field before turning on the jets for a hustling, two-out double.

Rutledge (2-for-2 with a walk, two RBIs and a stolen base) drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Tyler Colvin to put the Rockies ahead 2-1.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I was a little nervous for that first at-bat, but after that I settled down and it felt like a normal baseball game,” Rutledge said. “I think the biggest crowed I ever played in front of was about 13,000, so this was pretty awesome.”

On the mound. Friedrich tossed six masterful innings, mixing four pitches — fastball, slider, changeup and the occasional curve — to keep the Phillies off balance. That Coors Field gorilla that has been hanging over him — he was 1-3, with a 9.62 ERA at home entering the night — was nowhere to be found.

“I never thought it was about the ballpark, I always said it was just about me making my pitches,” said Friedrich, who improved to 5-6 and lowered his ERA to 5.60. “Tonight I had all my pitches, but the biggest thing was the tempo. I was able to stay ahead and keep the game moving.”

Friedrich outpitched Lee, the fellow lefty whom Friedrich trained with over the winter. Friedrich allowed one run on five hits, struck out seven and walked only one. Lee, a 17-game winner last season, has just one victory this season in 15 starts.

At the plate. The Rockies pounded Phillies pitching for 12 hits. Carlos Gonzalez, back from his All-Star Game appearance in Kansas City, was 3-for-4 with a run scored, boosting his average to .334. Cuddyer, dropped from cleanup to fifth in the order, smacked a double in the second and added an RBI triple in the seventh.

What it means. After taking two of three from the National League East-leading Nationals prior to the all-star break, Tracy said the Rockies were beginning to play their best baseball. Friday night his team proved him right.