The Rockies’ latest loss, by the numbers: 7-Eleven, and one.
Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester dominated Colorado on Saturday at American Family Field, pitching a career-high seven innings and striking out a career-high 11. The Rockies had one hit — for the entire game.
The final: Brewers 5, Rockies 0.
“Priester was really good and his sinker beat us early,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters in Milwaukee. “He spun us to death, beneath the zone. He just had our number all day. We had no answer to him.”
It was the ninth time the Rockies have been blanked this season. They lost their fifth straight game and own an 18-65 record, continuing their slide toward the worst record in baseball’s modern era.
The only hit the 24-year-old Priester allowed was a harmless, one-out single by Michael Toglia to right field in the fifth inning. Priester (6-2, 3.35 ERA) walked only two. He racked up 20 whiffs on 44 Rockies swings. Priester became the first Brewers pitcher to post double-digit strikeouts in a game this season.
While Priester was pitching the game of his career against the worst team in baseball, Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela took a step backward. The right-hander threw a solid game last Sunday vs. Arizona at Coors Field, notching his third win of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out a season-high five batters.
Saturday, the relentless Brewers pummeled Senzatela for five runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, and his ERA rose to 6.69. Opponents are hitting .355 against him.
Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead in the first, loading the bases on back-to-back singles by Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich and a walk by William Contreras. Brice Turang’s infield single scored Chourio, and Rhys Hoskins’ sacrifice fly scored Yelich.
Joey Ortiz mashed Senzatela’s first-pitch sinker for a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 4-0. Back-to-back doubles by Contreras and Turang made it 5-0 in the fifth.
“I thought ‘Senza’ was all right,” Schaeffer said. “(Except for) the mistake — the fastball away that came back into Ortiz for the two-run homer. … Senza hung in the game until that two-run homer.”
Sunday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP German Marquez (3-9, 5.79 ERA) at Brewers RHP Chad Patrick (3-7, 3.72)
12:10 p.m. Sunday, American Family Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM
Trending: During their 22-8 hot streak that began on May 25, the Brewers have posted a 3.30 ERA, which ranks third in the majors and is the best in the National League.
Pitching probables
Monday: Off day
Tuesday: Astros LHP Colton Gordon (3-1, 3.98) at Rockies RHP Chase Dollander (2-8, 6.06), 6:40 p.m.
