This one was over almost as soon as it began.
After the Colorado Rockies missed out on a chance to score after a walk and a HBP in the top of the first, the Milwaukee Brewers… did not.
Starter Tyler Anderson, who is normally sharp early and often, was neither at any point during the second game of the set. He got Lorenzo Cain to ground out on a nice play Trevor Story but then things got crazy.
Christian Yelich kept his hot bat going with a double to left center and Anderson worked carefully around power-hitter Jesus Aguilar, issuing the walk but setting up a potential inning-ending double play. When Jonathan Schoop singled to right instead, Anderson even caught a bit of a break since no runs could score against Carlos Gonzalez’ arm.
That would be of no consequence, though, when Ryan Braun singled to left to score the first run of the game and Travis Shaw connected on a low-and-inside fastball, driving it over the wall in left for a grand slam. And just like that, having recorded only one out, the Brewers took a 5-0 lead. And it wasn’t even quite over yet as Hernan Perez followed with a home run of his own, deflating the Rockies even more.
Braun made it three homers against Anderson in the third. It’s the first time this season he has given up three home runs in a game.
The Rockies did manage to get on the board in the top of the fourth on a Trevor Story two-run home run. A small moment in the game but potentially a great sign for Rockies fans that he may be coming out of his post-All-Star break malaise.
Harrison Musgrave had to come into the game in the fifth and worked a quick, clean inning but was ambushed by Perez to lead off the sixth. The Rockie-killer lined a triple over Charlie Blackmon’s head in center and scored on a sac fly by catcher Manny Pina. That made it an 8-2 advantage for Milwaukee.
Bryan Shaw walked a man in the seventh but was otherwise clean and Jake McGee stuck out a pair in a perfect eighth.
Gonzalez secured a one-out single before Story hit another two-run jack in the top of the ninth to pull the Rockies to within four. Gerardo Parra followed with a single and moved to third on an Ian Desmond double. Chris Iannetta drew a walk to load the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of pinch-hitter Tom Murphy.
Murphy struck out on three pitches, leaving it up to Blackmon. He hit a looper into shallow right that was hauled in by the second baseman, ending the rally and the game.
This was easily Anderson’s worst start of the season and a game the Rockies would like to forget as soon as possible.
They fall to 58-52 and are 2.5 games back of first place in the NL West.
What’s Next:
Colorado will hope to salvage a game in the series with a win on Sunday afternoon. Those have been rare for the club. Jon Gray gets the ball against Wade Miley. First pitch at 12:10 Mountain Time.
