Milwaukee used five solo homers and Jacob Misiorowski’s pitching to beat Colorado 7-1 on Saturday night, and the Brewers will try for a sweep in the three-game series when the teams play in Denver on Sunday afternoon.
The Rockies will send Kyle Freeland (1-6, 8.06 ERA) to the mound against Milwaukee’s Shane Drohan (2-1, 2.87) in a matchup of left-handers.
Drohan will start after a masterful outing Saturday by Misiorowski, who gave up one run (none earned) and four hits over seven innings. He walked three and struck out eight in improving to 7-2 with a 1.50 ERA.
Misiorowski, 24, threw a 103.7 mph fastball low and outside to Kyle Karros in the third inning, the fastest pitch by a starter since tracking began in 2008.
Freeland, meanwhile, is coming off a tough third inning at the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night, but it was something the veteran said he could build on. Freeland lasted 5 2/3 innings in the Rockies’ 9-8 win despite giving up five of his six runs in the third inning.
He was solid the rest of the game, allowing just three runners who didn’t reach on errors. He is trying to rediscover the rhythm he had at the start of the season, when he allowed just eight earned runs in his first five starts.
He struggled in May, going 0-4 with a 12.46 ERA, so Tuesday was better despite the six runs he gave up.
“This one felt like it was something I could build off of, minus that third inning,” Freeland said. “Nothing I can do about it besides turn the page and try to continue to get outs for my team and keep them in a spot where the offense can potentially make a comeback like they did.”
Freeland has pitched well against the Brewers, going 5-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 10 career starts.
Drohan, on the other hand, has no experience against Colorado. The rookie will make his 13th appearance and third start of the season and will be the third straight Milwaukee starter to face the Rockies for the first time after Brandon Sproat and Misiorowski pitched in the first two games.
The Brewers boast a young staff, and manager Pat Murphy praised catcher William Contreras, 28, for his ability to handle the youthful pitchers.
“If he’s not the top catcher in the game, he’s one of them,” Murphy said. “We’re around that time where the All-Star Game is coming (next month), and it’s important that everybody looks at the numbers, but for William Contreras, you’re talking about a guy that’s catching a rookie staff, calling every pitch, catching virtually nine out of 10 games, and he’s taken a rookie staff, guided them through, and we’re a winning ballclub.”
Milwaukee suffered another blow to its injury-riddled staff when left-hander Brian Fitzpatrick was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow injury. With several pitchers already out, the Brewers acquired Joel Kuhnel from the Athletics for cash on Saturday.
Kuhnel is expected to join the team either Sunday or Monday, when it visits the A’s for the start of a three-game series.
“The kid’s got a great arm, and he’s closed some games this year,” Murphy said after Saturday. “He’s a nice addition. We know who he is, we know how he handles himself. We need the depth. We’ve got 10 pitchers on the IL, total, that have pitched in the major leagues for us. That’s a lot.”
-Field Level Media
