Milwaukee @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Jul 16, 2011 ) Milwaukee 8, Colorado 7
THE STORY: The Milwaukee Brewers have not done much winning on the road this season, but after some late-game heroics at Coors Field on Saturday, perhaps they are ready to turn things around. A lineup change and a new late-inning weapon worked wonders for Milwaukee. The Colorado Rockies are fighting to remain relevant past the trade deadline and will need a few more wins to fend off the buzzards circling their roster. The Brewers will be looking for a split of the four-game series when they send Shaun Marcum to the mound in Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Coors Field.
TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, FSWI, ROOT
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Aaron Cook (0-4, 5.82 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Shaun Marcum (7-3, 3.39 ERA).
Cook missed the first two months of the season with a fractured finger and has yet to earn a win in six starts while yielding 46 hits in 34 total innings. The veteran sinkerballer has also issued 14 walks and has not pitched past the sixth inning. Cook has handled Milwaukee well in his career, posting a 6-3 record with a 3.13 ERA in 12 games. He has been especially tough on Prince Fielder, limiting him to 3-for-19 with just one RBI.
Marcum has not won since June 12 and is 1-2 in his last nine starts, pitching through the seventh inning only twice in that span. The veteran righthander has had a hard time keeping the ball in the park, surrendering six home runs in his last five turns and 13 on the season. Marcum had one of his best efforts against Colorado on May 21, allowing one run - a solo homer to Carlos Gonzalez - in eight innings to pick up the win.
ABOUT THE ROCKIES (45-49): Colorado has enjoyed a resurgence from Todd Helton at the plate and has Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki back in the lineup and productive. If the Rockies could just get the pitching staff sorted out, perhaps they would be able to track down the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants in the NL West. After allowing a total of three runs in the first two games of the series, the Rockies looked like they would have another strong outing from Jhoulys Chacin on Saturday. Unfortunately the bullpen could not carry its weight. Matt Reynolds allowed three inherited runners to score and Huston Street surrendered a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to hand the Brewers the win.
ABOUT THE BREWERS (50-45): With his team entering Saturday's game with a 16-inning scoreless streak, Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke decided to change things up by switching Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart in the lineup. Weeks moved out of the leadoff spot and into the No. 5 hole behind Fielder. The move paid off with a two-run homer from Hart in the fifth inning that snapped the scoreless streak at 20 frames. Weeks followed a walk by Fielder with his blast in the ninth. Francisco Rodriguez made his Milwaukee debut in the eighth inning, earning the win with a perfect inning. Regular closer John Axford handled the ninth, allowing one run but locking up his 24th save of the season. The win improved Milwaukee to 17-31 away from Miller Park.
FINAL PITCH: It was not all good news for the Brewers, who lost All-Star Ryan Braun in the sixth inning due to tightness in his left hamstring and calf. The left fielder is listed as day-to-day.