MILWAUKEE — For four innings Saturday night, Rockies left-hander Drew Pomeranz pitched a masterpiece.
But then came some rookie shakes in the fifth, quickly followed by a rare implosion by the Colorado bullpen. The result was a tough-to-stomach 9-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers that put an end to the Rockies’ three-game winning streak.
Pomeranz set down the first 12 Brewers he faced, adding spice with a career-high six strikeouts.
But things got rocky in the fifth when Pomeranz appeared to lose his focus, and the Brewers grabbed a 2-1 lead. Pomeranz walked three and served up doubles to Corey Hart and Alex Gonzalez.
“I just kind of lost my rhythm a little bit,” said Pomeranz, a 23-year-old who came to Colorado in the Ubaldo Jimenez trade with Cleveland. “You can’t do that in the middle of the game. It’s hard to pitch when you do that.”
Manager Jim Tracy has seen it happen many times before with rookies.
“You will see this periodically with young arms, where you have that little bit of a lapse,” Tracy said.
But Pomeranz hung tough, escaping with just two runs charged to his stat sheet. With two outs and the bases full, the Brewers’ Carlos Gomez drove a pitch to deep center, where Dexter Fowler ran it down, putting a temporary cap on a possible blowout.
Temporary being the key word.
In the Brewers’ sixth, reigning National League MVP Ryan Braun led off with a loud solo homer to center off reliever Esmil Rogers, tying the game 3-3. It was Braun’s first hit in 16 at-bats. It was the first run allowed by Rogers this season.
It wasn’t the last. By the time Rogers got the hook with one out in the seventh, he’d given up four runs on five hits. His ERA — a spotless 0.00 coming in — ballooned to 4.15.
Enter hard-throwing righty Edgmer Escolana. He got behind in counts, and the Brewers quickly feasted on his fat fastballs. Braun greeted him with a triple, and Alex Gonzalez blasted a three-run homer. By the time Escolona exited, the Brewers led 9-3.
“We needed a stop in the seventh and we didn’t get a stop,” Tracy said. “Instead, the floodgates opened.”
Milwaukee starter Marco Estrada was even more effective in the early going than Pomeranz. Rushed into starting duty because of Chris Narveson’s shoulder injury, Estrada gave up just one run and struck out nine in his five innings. Fowler, struggling in the No. 2 hole, fell victim twice, his team-high strikeout total rising to 14 in 44 at-bats.
In addition to Pomeranz’s impressive first four innings, there were a few scattered bright spots amid Saturday’s wreckage. Troy Tulowitzki continued to rebound from last week’s struggles. He put the Rockies in front 1-0 with a solo home run in the fourth off Estrada. It was his second homer of the season.
Tulo also singled through the right side in the sixth, driving in Carlos Gonzalez to give the Rockies a short-lived 3-2 lead. He is batting .402 with 12 doubles, eight homers and 24 RBIs vs. the Brewers in his career.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
Looking ahead
TODAY Rockies at Brewers, 12:10 p.m., Root, 850 AM
Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo had a career season in 2011, going 17-10 with a crisp 3.52 ERA. But he hasn’t had any luck vs. the Rockies. In fact, he’s 0-4 with a 6.69 ERA in seven games (six starts) against them. Last season, he got hammered at Coors Field in a 12-3 win for the Rockies. He was charged with six runs and 11 hits in just four innings. But Gallardo was nails at home in 2011, finishing 10-2 with a 3.00 ERA. After a terrible opening day this season against St. Louis, he tinkered with his delivery and has pitched very well in his last two starts, allowing just three runs and 12 hits in 14 innings. Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hits Gallardo hard, going 5-for-11 ( two doubles). Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
Upcoming Pitching Matchups
Today: Rockies’ Jeremy Guthrie (1-1, 7.79 ERA) at Brewers’ Yovani Gallardo (1-1, 4.58), 12:10 p.m., Root
Monday: Rockies’ Jamie Moyer (1-2, 2.55) at Pirates’ James McDonald (0-1, 3.45), 5:05 p.m., Root
Tuesday: Rockies’ Juan Nicasio (1-0, 6.19) at Pirates’ Brad Lincoln (1-0, 0.00), 5:05 p.m., Root
Wednesday: Rockies’ Jhoulys Chacin (0-1, 4.80) at Pirates’ Charlie Morton (0-1, 3.60), 10:35 a.m., Root
