2014-06-27 Rockies (Matzek) at Brewers (Lohse), 7:10 PM CDT [Brewers win 3-2 on Braun's walk-off single]

[pretendastronaut]

[igt-2012][game-setup][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/rockies.png[/logo][game-info][h1]June 27 | 7:10 P.M.[/h1][h2]Rockies (35-44) | Brewers (49-32)[/h2][h3]FSWI | WTMJ 620[/h3][/game-info][logo]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/logos/brewers.png[/logo][/game-setup][pitching-photos]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/pitchers/rockies/matzek-01.jpghttp://dl.dropbox.com/u/20589901/BrewerFan/2014/pitchers/brewers/lohse-10.jpg[/pitching-photos][game-matchup][divclass=away][h2]1-2, 5.19 ERA, 1.62 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Brewers | Game Log[/h3][h3]Matzek gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings of his last start on Sunday, a loss to the Brewers. He had two rough innings, which led Matzek to say he will work between starts on keeping his fastball down.[/h3][/divclass][divclass=home][h2]9-2, 3.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP[/h2][h3]Versus Rockies | Game Log[/h3][h3]In his last start at one of his "least favorite ballparks," Coors Field, Lohse tried to limit the damage rather than attacking Rockies hitters. He was often behind in the count and was pulled after three earned runs in five innings.[/h3][/divclass][starting-lineup][divclass=away]

1. RF Charlie Blackmon
   
2. CF Drew Stubbs
   
3. 1B Justin Morneau
   
4. SS Troy Tulowitzki
   
5. LF Corey Dickerson
   
6. 2B Josh Rutledge
   
7. 3B Ryan Wheeler
   
8. C Michael McKenry
   
9. LHP Tyler Matzek

[/divclass][divclass=home]

1. 2B Rickie Weeks
   
2. RF Ryan Braun
   
3. C Jonathan Lucroy
   
4. CF Carlos Gómez
   
5. 3B Aramis Ramírez
   
6. LF Kris Davis
   
7. 1B Mark Reynolds
   
8. SS Jean Segura
   
9. RHP Kyle Lohse

[/divclass][/starting-lineup][/game-matchup][game-links][h3][chat]BrewerFan Chat[/chat] | MLB Gameday[/h3][/game-links][/igt-2012]

[TooLiveBrew]

Brewers seek fifth straight win against Rockies

Matzek to face Lohse in rematch as Colorado looks to stop Milwaukee

By Alex Halsted / MLB.com | 6/27/2014 2:29 AM ET

 

The Rockies have hit a bump in recent weeks, and the Brewers have taken advantage.

 

The Brewers find themselves in a stretch of playing the Rockies seven times in 10 days, and with Thursday night's 7-4 win, Milwaukee is 4-for-4. So far, the matchup has brought plenty of offense, to the tune of 14.5 combined runs a game.

 

Each time the Brewers have come away with victories, sending them to the best record in the National League (49-32) and the Rockies to losses in nine of their past 10 games.

 

"We're getting to know each other pretty well," Rockies starter Tyler Matzek said. "We're going to make some adjustments, and that should help us win."

 

Friday night's pitching matchup will replicate the one from Sunday, when Matzek and Brewers starter Kyle Lohse faced off. In that game, Lohse allowed three runs in five innings to earn the win against Matzek, who surrendered five runs in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

 

Matzek will be looking to regain the form he found in his first Major League start, when he held Atlanta to two runs over seven innings and struck out seven on June 11. His past two starts have gone less smoothly, as he has given up a combined eight runs and 17 hits over 10 1/3 innings.

 

Matzek says he is at the point where his emotions are less prevalent, and his focus for Friday is on getting ahead in counts.

 

"When I fall behind guys and start pitching to contact or trying to pitch to weaker contact, falling behind on 3-1 counts, I'm looking to throw one pitch and get out of that situation," Matzek said. "That's a bad situation to be in. If I can get ahead of guys, I'm more the aggressor, and I'm more the hunter than the prey, which is what you always want to be."

 

Lohse, meanwhile, will face a Rockies lineup that is without Carlos Gonzalez, Michael Cuddyer and Nolan Arenado.

 

"No, there isn't," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said when asked if there was a better lineup in baseball. "If you put their three guys who are hurting into the lineup, that's the best lineup in baseball for me. I know there are some really good lineups, and there are some good lineups in the other league, also. But with those three guys in there, for me, that's the best offense."

 

The Rockies have still found ways to score runs without those three but will be seeking their first win against the Brewers this season Friday night and the end to a slump nonetheless.

 

Rockies: Colorado aims to stay aggressive on basepaths

Colorado has been an aggressive running team all season, but that aggression was particularly prevalent in last weekend's series against Milwaukee. The Rockies rank No. 11 in baseball with 50 stolen bases; against the Brewers, they have stolen nine bases in 11 attempts.

 

Manager Walt Weiss said he wanted the team to continue being proactive when it reaches base, and he said that frequent runners had been thorough in watching video to find good spots in which to run.

 

"Whenever we have an opportunity, we try to take advantage of it. I green-light most of our guys, so when they feel like they've got an opportunity to run they take it and they look for it," Weiss said. "It certainly has nothing to do with [Jonathan] Lucroy because he's a heck of a catcher, but if a pitcher gives us an opportunity to run, we'll look to exploit that."

 

Roenicke said that was exactly what happened in Colorado last weekend.

 

Brewers: Crew seeking more production on the bases

The Brewers, meanwhile, are stealing bases at a lower rate than they did last season. They had a 74 percent success rate in 2013, compared with 68 percent entering Thursday.

 

"I think we're still running the bases well, but we haven't been as good [stealing bases] as we have in the past," Roenicke said. "Some of that is personnel, and some of that is individually not getting the jumps that they want. I don't understand it, but confidence plays into that like it does hitting, pitching, fielding. It shouldn't, because you're just getting a jump and running hard, but it does."

 

Shortstop Jean Segura was 44-for-57 on steals (77 percent) last season but is 14-for-22 (64 percent) this season.

 

Regarding Segura's lower success rate, Roenicke said: "I probably have to take a little more control of that."

 

Worth noting

• Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has hit .318 (7-for-22) in his career against Lohse with two RBIs.

 

• The Brewers reached the midway point in the season with Thursday night's win against the Rockies, moving within one game of 50 wins.

[TURBO]

Awful quiet in here tonight...

[Invader3K]

Awful quiet in here tonight...

Kind of a typical Friday. I just got to sit down and turn on the game myself.

[adambr2]

Gomez is awful the last few games.

[sauveb]

I would really rather know if there was catchers interference on Braun instead of hearing about Debbie's charities.

[sauveb]

Finally, the door has been opened. Now blast through it.

[brewcrewdue80]

Gomez needs to lay off the first pitch for a week. Absolute Garbage he continues to hack at and if a Pitcher doesn't just throw a garbage ball at Gomez to be dumb enough to swing at they really have a problem with scouting Gomez then. Can one look at Gomez's last 15 games first pitch swing stats somewhere? vs. overall on the season? It feels like 90% to me he's swinging at in the last two weeks

[brewcrewdue80]

Wow Lohse you get the Lead and then you're going to blow it the very next inning after 6 scoreless?

[TURBO]

This inning could get ugly. Please do not hit the ball to Rickie.

[folly412]

With the way runners were getting on early in the inning all night, one run through seven is fortunate.

[brewcrewdue80]

thankfully just 1er allowed. Can we bash their bullpen now like last week?

[TURBO]

I sure do love Khris Davis!

[TURBO]

I completely disagree with this kind of managing. Burn two pinch hitters just to play a pitching match up in the 7th inning, with only one out. RRR is guilty of over managing at times, and it drives me crazy!

 

So now we have 2 guys left on the bench? It won't be surprising to see extra innings, why dig a hole like that with so much game left to play?

 

And why have your 2nd pinch hitter (Overbay was announced, then brought out of the on deck circle for Maldanado) attempt to squeeze? Couldn't Overbay have done that?

 

UGGGHHHH!

[folly412]

Walk all the way to first base on ball three, then whiff at ball four. I don't know to laugh, be disgusted, or what.

 

Guess I'll be disgusted since the guy can't hit the plate.

[TURBO]

Walk all the way to first base on ball three, then whiff at ball four. I don't know to laugh, be disgusted, or what.

 

Guess I'll be disgusted since the guy can't hit the plate.

 

Just a plain stupid at bat, from the manager right down to the hitter. DUMB!

[TURBO]

Gee, the Rockies counter with a right handed pitcher, why doesn't RRR pinch hit for Braun to play the match-up?

[Lee16]

I swear this is the longest half an inning in the history of baseball....

[sauveb]

Way to wear it Braunie.

[brewcrewdue80]

OMG Yes!

[pacopete4]

Let's have a quiet 8th and 9th and put this one to bed please.

[folly412]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/01/Jiggy.jpg

[DuWayne Steurer]

This replay stuff is getting silly. I don't even know what they're seeing there.

[razzzorsharp]

Was the ball really on him the whole time?

[WinkelsasVsSoriano]

He definitely looked safe to me. It looked like it was his hands, then chest, abdomen and knee, none of which I saw go off the bag. He definitely beat the tag the first time as well. I don't get it. I saw nothing that could possibly overturn, but I could have used a couple more looks at replay.