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 The Brewers tagged the young Colorado Rockies left-hander in his
2014 debut last week in Denver, then belted two first-inning home
runs off him Thursday. Milwaukee went on to record a 7-4 victory at
Miller Park.
Friedrich (0-2) lasted just four-plus innings and was charged with
five runs on nine hits and a walk. He still managed to strike out
eight -- including three in a row in the second, his only 1-2-3
inning. On Saturday at Coors Field, the Brewers touched Friedrich
for nine runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks.
"It's just like what everybody has to deal with up here," Rockies
manager Walt Weiss said. "It's all about consistency, and as a
pitcher, you have to be able to command your stuff and pitch ahead
of hitters and that type of thing. He's got good stuff; he's got a
good fastball and a real good breaking ball he got a lot of
swings-and-misses on tonight. There's no doubt he's got good stuff."
Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks got Friedrich's day off to a bad
start, belting the first offering to left for his third home run of
the season.
Friedrich recovered by striking out catcher Jonathan Lucroy, then
got center fielder Carlos Gomez to pop out to first base. With an
0-2 count on third baseman Aramis Ramirez, Friedrich tried to stuff
a fastball inside, but it stayed out over the plate, and Ramirez
connected for his 11th home run of the season.
"Two pitches that weren't executed," Friedrich said. "The first
pitch of the game I left it over the plate and he got a hold of it
and hit it real well. With Aramis, you can't make a mistake --
especially when you're 0-2. I should have buried something there or
made sure it was out of the zone."
With an early lead in his pocket, Brewers right-hander Wily Peralta
(9-5) shut down the Rockies over the first three innings.
After allowing three straight singles to open the fourth, Peralta
struck out catcher Wilin Rosario but hung a 2-1 slider to third
baseman Ryan Wheeler, who ripped it to right-center for his first
career grand slam, giving Colorado a 4-3 lead.
"I've hit one grand slam in Triple-A, but this trumps it by a long
haul," Wheeler said.
Peralta settled in after that and worked through the sixth, holding
the Rockies to four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking
out seven.
"He can pitch better," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "I thought
the last three outings that he's pitched well but he's not locked
in. Before that, he had a couple of games where he was locked in.
Now, he's struggling to get through these lineups. He's still making
good pitches, but he's struggling to get through the lineup."
Peralta earned his ninth victory of the season thanks to two Brewers
runs in the fifth. Weeks doubled and scored on Lucroy's long RBI
single to the wall in center, and Milwaukee went ahead on a
sacrifice fly by left fielder Khris Davis.
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Weeks, who has played sparingly this season, went 3-for-5 and
finished a triple short of the cycle.
"A great swing," Roenicke said. "He had a good night swinging the
bat."
Scooter Gennett, Milwaukee's regular second baseman, entered as a
pinch hitter in the eighth inning and broke it open with a two-run
home run off right-hander Tommy Kahnle.
The Brewers' bullpen, meanwhile, held kept Colorado off the board
despite allowing plenty of chances.
The Rockies loaded the bases against right-hander Brandon Kintzler
in the seventh, but Milwaukee left-hander Will Smith got two
strikeouts to end the threat.
"We had some opportunities late," Weiss said. "Smith did a good job
coming in and getting out of a jam right there. He pitched us tough
that inning."
Right-hander Francisco Rodriguez threw a perfect ninth to record his
26th save of the season.
NOTES: Rockies C Wilin Rosario left the game with tightness in his
lower back. He is considered day-to-day. ... The Padres claimed INF
Irving Falu off waivers from the Brewers. Falu, 31, went hitless in
12 plate appearances for Milwaukee before he was optioned to
Triple-A Nashville on June 13. ... Milwaukee is the only team in
baseball that hasn't been swept this season. ... The same two teams
met in a three-game series last weekend in Denver, where they
combined for 47 runs and 78 hits as the Brewers swept the series.
Thursday's game was the opener of a four-game set.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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