Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers Tid Bits

Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers
June 18-19, 2010 at Coors Field

Winning Feeling

Rockies lead all-time series 47-40. It’s second best record for Rockies against an NL opponent, and one of five NL teams against which Rockies have an all-time winning record.

Rockies top five winning percentages against NL teams

Team W-L Pct.

Wash/Mont 85-59 .590
Milwaukee 47-40 .540
Pittsburgh 75-70 .517
San Diego 141-132 .516
St. Louis 76-74 .507

Home Sweet Home

Rockies are 29-13 all-time against Milwaukee in Denver, the Rockies most success against any team in Colorado.

Team W-L Pct.

Milwaukee 29-13 .690
NY Mets 44-27 .620
Washington 44-27 .620
Florida 47-29 .618
Houston 43-27 .614

Rockies have swept six series from Brewers in Colorado. Brewers swept one series from the Rockies in Colorado, which was in 2004.

Rockies swept season series from Milwaukee last year, going 3-0 in Milwaukee and at Coors Field.

This year

Rockies opened the season at Milwaukee and lost 2 of 3. Only win was Opening Day with Ubaldo on the mound. They, however, won’t see Ubaldo this series. They also won’t see Greg Smith, who started Game 2 of the season and is now at Triple A Colorado Springs.

Aaron Cook, who started the third game of the season, is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale. He allowed five runs, four earned, in 5 1/3 innings of a 5-4 loss on April 7.

Rockies will face Yovanni Gallardo on Saturday. He was the Brewers Opening Day starter, and suffered the loss in that game, allowing four runs, three earned, in seven innings of a 5-4 Rockies win. He is 6-2 since losing that game. And on Sunday they face Randy Wolf, who earned the win in the third game of the season, allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 7-5 Brewers win.

Hittable

Brewers are 28-38 despite an offense that ranks third in NL in runs scored. It comes down to pitching, or a lack thereof. They brought in highly touted Rick Perterson to work miracles, and it hasn’t worked.

Brewers rotation is 18-25. Yovani Gallardo is only starter with a winning record (6-3) and he’s been real good. He lost his first two starts of the year, against the Rockies and St. Louis, allowing nine earned runs in 12 innings. HE is 6-1 since and has allowed only 17 earned runs in 76 innings, a 2.01 ERA.

Bullpen is 10-13. Relievers are 10-for-20 in saves, the worst conversion rate in the big leagues.

The Rockies, meanwhile, are 34-32 despite an offense that has struggled. The Rockies, however, have had success with their pitching staff.

A look at how Brewers and Rockies compare in pitching stats:

Brewers (NL rank) Stat Rockies (NL rank)

5.12 (12th) ERA 3.63 (4th)
374 (1st) Walks 222 (5th)
.283 (14) BA vs. .249 (6th)
71 (3rd) HR allow 42 (16th)

San Francisco has allowed second fewerst home runs (46). Arizona has given up an NL high 98 home runs with Pittsburgh second at 74 home runs.

Unsaving Grace

All-time save leader Trevor Hoffman is battling for survival. Hoffman, 42, is 5-for-10 in save situations this year, hasn’t had a save since May 7. His last opportunity was a blo0wn save May 18. He has 596 career saves. He has a 9.43 ERA.
John Axford has assumed the closer role. Hs 4-for-5 this season, but is 4-for-4 since assuming the closer role in late May. He has a 3.00 ERA.
Former Rockies reliever LaTroy Hawkins, supposed to be the other veteran influence in the pen, has a 9.26 ERA, and is on the disabled list.

Hoffman Continued

Hoffman registered his 1,000th career strikeout against Rockies Todd Helton on Sept. 8, 2007.
Hoffman’s third career save and the first for him with San Diego was when he worked 2 2/3 innings in a 6-3 win against the Rockies on Aug. 6, 1993.
Hoffman’s top four career save totals are against NL West team, which isn’t a surprise since he was with San Diego from mid-1993 through 2008. He has 68 saves against the Dodgers, 54 against the Rockies, 51 against the Giants and 46 against the Diamondbacks.

Most against a non-NL West team is 40 against Pittsburgh.

He has a 5.85 ERA at Coors Field, second highest in an NL park. He has a 7.20 ERA at Great America Park. It’s not like Mile High Stadium was any better for him. In two years Rockies were in that park he had a 6.75 ERA there.

Beltin’ Helton

Todd Helton should enjoy the weekend. He was 5-for-10 in the season opening series, 5-for-9 in his two starts, and then hitless in a pinch-hit at-bat in Game 3.
Carlos Gonzalez was 8-for-15 in that series, scoring four runs and driving in two.

Ian Stewart was 4-for-10 with two home runs, a double, a triple and a sacrifice fly.

Roster Update

Brewers disabled list includes RHPs Todd Coffey (bruised right thumb), Marco Estrada (right shoulder fatigue) and LaTroy Hawkins (right shoulder fatigue), LHP Doug Davis (Pericarditis), C Greg Zaun (right shoulder surgery), and OF Jody Gerut (bruised left heel).
53 players – 27 pitchers, 26 position players – have played for both teams.

Record Book

–19 runs scored by Rockies against Milwaukee Aug. 8, 2007 is tied for fourth most in franchise history in a game. Rockies have scored 20 runs in a game three times.

–23 hits for Rockies in that game, tied for third most in franchised history, one shy of record.

–9 hits in third inning of Sept. 30, 2001 game against Milwaukee equaled franchise record originally set against St. Louis in second inning of April 13, 2000 game.

–153 pitches thrown by Pedro Astacio against Milwaukee June 6, 1999, most ever for Rockies pitcher.

Deep Thinking

–4 home runs in the seventh inning on June 6, 1999 at Coors Field against Milwuakee, most in an inning in franchise history.
–7 times Rockies have had back-to-back home runs against Milwaukee, six times at Coors Field.

–2 times a Rockies pitcher has homered against Milwaukee.
Denny Neagle had a grand slam of Jimmy Haynes at Coors Field Sept. 29, 2001
Brian Bohanon homered off Bill Pulsipher at Coors Field Sept. 10, 1999

–Last Rockies pitcher to hit a home run was Jason Jennings off Greg Maddux of Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 8, 2004

–2 grand slams by Rockies against Milwuakee. Along with Neagle, Brad Hawpe had a slam off David Bush at Coors Field in first inning June 7, 2008.

–4 pinch-hit home runs for Rockies against Milwaukee, including Chris Iannetta’s walkoff home run off David Weathers in 11th inning at Coors Field Sept. 29, 2009 last season.

–3 home runs for Vinny Castilla against Milwaukee on June 5, 1999 at Coors Field, one of 11 three home run games for a Rockies player, only against Milwaukee.

Ex-Patriots

2B Craig Counsell of Milwaukee is only remaining member from Rockies original amateur draft, in 1992, out of Notre Dame. His roommate in minors was Rockies bullpen catcher Mark Strittmatter.
LHP Chris Narveson was acquired from St. Louis as part of a package for Larry Walker in August of 2004. He was then dealt to Boston, along with Charles Johnson, for Byung-hyum Kim in 2005.

Bullpen coach Stan Kyles was a minor-league pitching coach with the Rockies 1994-96.