Brewers' bats go cold in 4-0 loss to Rockies

[July 16, 2011]  DENVER (AP) -- Milwaukee got the pitching it needed. Hitting was the problem against Colorado.

Chris Narveson tossed six solid innings but the Brewers managed only four hits against Rockies rookie Juan Nicasio and two relievers in a 4-0 loss Friday night, extending their season-long road woes.

"We pitched well, we played a good game, we just didn't hit," manager Ron Roenicke said.

Prince Fielder and Nyjer Morgan had two hits each to account for Milwaukee's offense. Ryan Braun had his career-best 23-game hitting streak end, hitting into a double play in his final plate appearance in the seventh inning. The 0-for-3 night also snapped a 24-game hitting streak against Colorado, the longest streak by an opposing player in the team's 19-year history.

"Anytime you don't hit and you get shut out, you're not going to be happy with the approaches," Roenicke said. "It's nice to see if we square up 10 balls and they're caught and the guy shuts us out, but that wasn't the case."

Stymied by Nicasio (4-2), the Brewers had only two runners get past first base. Morgan led off the fourth with a double but was thrown out at third trying to advance on Braun's groundout, and Fielder was stranded after hitting a two-out double in the seventh.

Milwaukee sent just 29 batters to the plate, two more than the minimum.

"It's more about finding what it takes. When you're pitching sometimes you have a guy you struggle against," Narveson said. "Once you figure that out, things seem to click. We're kind of in that rut where we're trying to see what it takes to win on the road. Once we find it we'll be fine."

Narveson (6-6) allowed five hits and three runs, but was foiled in his bid for a third consecutive winning decision. He struck out five and walked three.

"I felt like I made some pretty good pitches," he said. "You felt like you were in it, just a pitch away a couple of times."

Narveson was a pitch away from getting out of the first inning unscathed when he uncorked a wild pitch and Dexter Fowler scored from third.

"It's unfortunate it kicked away," Narveson said. "If there's another runner on there I don't think they try, but Fowler's pretty fast."

Colorado made it 2-0 in the third when Mark Ellis hit a one-out double and Todd Helton followed with an RBI single.

In the fifth, Fowler drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Troy Tulowitzki's single. In the seventh, Ellis doubled again and came home on Helton's second single of the game.

"It was kind of weird how things bounced their way today," Narveson said. "Balls down the line could have been another foot foul on three or four of those. Sometimes it takes breaks to go like that for you to get things going. Unfortunately things went for them tonight."

NOTES: Following the game, the Brewers optioned RHP Zach Braddock to Triple-A Nashville and recalled RHP Tim Dillard from the Sounds. ... Milwaukee reliever Francisco Rodriguez, acquired in a trade with the New York Mets this week, is now wearing jersey No. 57 after spending Thursday's first game with his new team wearing No. 75. ... Braun's streak ended one shy of matching Dave May's 24-game hitting streak in 1973, the second longest in Brewers history. Paul Molitor had a franchise-record 39-game hitting streak in 1987.

[Associated Press]

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