Milwaukee @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 20, 2014 ) Milwaukee 4, Colorado 3

The first-place Milwaukee Brewers - with their major league-best 24-15 road record in tow - visit Coors Field for a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies beginning Friday. Milwaukee, which leads the National League Central, won three of four in Arizona following Thursday's 4-1 victory and is 7-2 in its last nine road contests. Two Brewers stars - catcher Jonathan Lucroy and right fielder Ryan Braun - should be well-rested for the series after manager Ron Roenicke gave them Thursday off.

Colorado, which leads the majors with a .281 batting average - .330 at home, was no-hit by Clayton Kershaw in an 8-0 loss at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Milwaukee's Marco Estrada has yielded a major-league most 23 home runs after serving up three in his last outing and opposes rookie Christian Bergman, who recorded quality starts in his first two major-league appearances but is still looking for his first victory. "He's not pitching well right now," Roenicke told reporters about Estrada. "He's making mistakes, and they're not missing it.''

TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee), ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Marco Estrada (5-4, 4.82 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Christian Bergman (0-1, 3.75)

Estrada lost his second straight start after allowing five runs and eight hits in five innings of a 13-4 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. "I think I just tried way too hard and that's what happens," the 30-year-old Mexican told reporters. "... Mentally, I'm strong right now - stronger than I have been. I dealt with some stuff but I'm feeling better now mentally and physically." Estrada, who has a 1.24 WHIP, has yielded at least one home run in all but one of his 13 starts this season

Bergman allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings of Colorado's 5-4 victory at San Francisco on Saturday. “He’s been impressive,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss told the Glendale (Calif.) News-Press about the 26-year-old California native. “He’s got a lot of composure for a young kid. The way that he handles himself is way beyond his experience level.” Bergman, who lost to Atlanta 3-1 on June 9, faces his third consecutive first-place team at the time of his start.

WALK-OFFS

1. Milwaukee CF Carlos Gomez, who is riding a career-high 15-game hitting streak and a major league-best 32-game on base streak, isn't surprised by the Brewers' success. "... We were looking around, looking at other teams, and I don't think any team has a better lineup than us. ..." Gomez told reporters.

2. Friday's contest would mark the 1,000th career game for Braun, mired in an 8-for-52 slump which has dropped his average from .318 to .279.

3. Colorado has won 20 of the last 26 meetings at home.

PREDICTION: Brewers 9, Rockies 8