Rockies at Brewers
Two teams in the hunt for a postseason berth in the National League but coming off back-to-back losses square off Friday, when the Colorado Rockies visit the Milwaukee Brewers for the opener of their three-game series. Colorado, which trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games for first place in the NL West and is 1 1/2 out of a wild-card spot, kicked off its seven-game road trip by dropping three of four in St. Louis.
The Rockies carried a lead into the ninth inning on Thursday but allowed two runs en route to a 3-2 setback in which they registered only seven hits - three by Gerardo Parra, who has gone 8-for-16 with three RBIs during his four-game hitting streak. Milwaukee, which occupies a wild-card spot, won five of six to begin its eight-game trek but was outscored 27-9 in a pair of losses to the Dodgers - including Thursday's 21-5 defeat that kept it one game behind the first-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Jesus Aguilar hit a three-run homer while Christian Yelich went 3-for-4 with a solo shot and scored three runs for Milwaukee, which has won three of four at home. Yelich has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 contests, a stretch during which he has recorded 13 multi-hit performances.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (9-8, 4.82 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Junior Guerra (6-7, 3.43)
Marquez won his fourth consecutive decision on Sunday, allowing two runs and five hits with eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings against Oakland. The 23-year-old Venezuelan has given up fewer than three runs in each of the victories, registering a total of 30 strikeouts while issuing only three walks over 27 2/3 frames. Marquez, who has posted a 3.15 ERA on the road this year as opposed to a 6.63 mark at home, is 1-1 with a 6.06 ERA in three career starts against Milwaukee - including a loss at home on May 10 in which he yielded five runs on 12 hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.
Guerra has struggled over his last three starts, going 0-2 while surrendering 15 runs - 12 earned - on 18 hits and seven walks in 14 innings. The 33-year-old, who also hails from Venezuela, has recorded a 2.45 ERA at home - where he has allowed three earned runs over 22 frames while going 2-0 in his last four turns - against a 4.97 mark on the road. Guerra made his only career start against Colorado on April 3, 2017, when he gave up two runs and one hit - a homer - over three innings of a no-decision as he exited with a calf injury..
WALK-OFFS
1. Brewers 2B Jonathan Schoop has gone 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in two games since being acquired from Baltimore.
2. Colorado's DJ LeMahieu (oblique) was activated from the 10-day disabled list on Thursday and went 0-for-4 while fellow 2B Garrett Hampson was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.
3. Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado went 6-for-18 with a homer and five RBIs in the four-game series against the Cardinals.