HRs by Gonzalez and Rosario help Millwood beat Brewers
Kevin Millwood gave the Colorado Rockies another good start, and Carlos Gonzalez and Wilin Rosario homered in a 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Rockies won for the first time in five games at Miller Park this season and split the two-game series.
Millwood, who is 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA in seven starts, allowed two runs and four hits in six innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Rockies packed their six runs into three consecutive innings, beginning with the third. Thomas Field opened that inning with his first major league hit, a single to right. Millwood put down a sacrifice bunt on an 0-2 pitch.
Dexter Fowler hit a ball back to pitcher Shawn Marcum, and Field was out in a 1-5-6-2 rundown that enabled Fowler to reach second. He scored when Mark Ellis singled up the middle, and Carlos Gonzalez followed with his 26th homer.
With one out in the fourth, Wilin Rosario drove Marcum’s first pitch into the left field seats for his second homer. The Rockies tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Fowler led off with a single and dashed to third on Ellis’ hit-and-run single. Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly, and Jason Giambi followed with a double. When second baseman Rickie Weeks didn’t handle right fielder’s Cory Hart’s throw, Ellis scored.
The Brewers scored a run in the first when Hart led off with a triple, the ball bouncing away from Seth Smith in the left field corner, and scored Nyjer Morgan’s ground out. That was all Millwood allowed the Brewers until the sixth when he gave up two singles and a run scored on a wild pitch, a ball that catcher Rosario should have blocked. Instead, he came up too early, and the ball went through his legs.
After Huston Street gave up consecutive one-out singles in the eighth, putting runners on first and third, Rex Brothers struck out Prince Fielder and got Jerry Hairston Jr. to ground out.
Other highlights:
_ Millwood got nine ground ball outs in six innings. He’s 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA in four starts on the road. The two walks are the most Millwood has issued in any of his seven starts with the Rockies. He had allowed four walks in his previous 38 innings and no walks in 12 2/3 innings in his past two starts.
_ Gonzalez’s three RBI gave him 92 for the season. He has 14 games remaining to get the eight RBI he needs to reach 100 for the second straight season.
_ In his past 15 games since Aug. 9, Brothers has made 14 scoreless appearances and hitters are 6-for-43 (.140). During that stretch, which totals 12 1/3 innings, Brothers has five walks and 17 strikeouts.
_ Ellis extended his hitting streak to seven games (11-for-28) and had his second four-hit game with the Rockies. The other was Aug. 24 at Coors Field against the Astros.
Let me be the first to say,in a season of disapointments,Kevin Millwood has been a very pleasant surprise!If the money can be worked out,he should be a no brainer for next year.After watching E.Rogers joking and laughing w/him after the game,I could see a very positive veteran presence for our extremely youthful rotation.I feel the same way about Mark Ellis.The way he has responded after being benched[and beaned]for the youthful try outs has been admirable and totally professional.I believe he is turning into the prototypical 2 hole hitter we been desperately missing.He and Dex have been very good the last two months and have set the table for Cargo and Tulo as exhibited by their second half stats.
Gary, I agree 100%. Kevin Millwood personifies the definition of pitcher as opposed to thrower. We need not only his production next year but his presence.
Likewise Mark Ellis leaves us 1 less hole to fill in the offseason.
DOD will certainly have his challenges this winter; challenges that will offer opportunities. He has to make good moves or it may be the end of his era.
I can’t help but think this organization hasn’t recovered from the loss of Keli McGregor.
Millwood, did have a good game but he needs to get fit gets tired to easy.
Given the known issues with this rotation at least at the beginning of 2012, Millwood sure seems like a fit, and he seems to like it here. You know when he was signed a number of folks threw out names like Redman and Fogg, but those two guys never had the high season that Kevin had. He was in the past a great pitcher, and in his mid 30s with what we have seen this year (granted in the NL vs. AL), he would be the best #5 pitcher in the West and maybe the NL.
I remain a believer that in the West with the core we begin with – Tulo, CarGo, Helton (potentially with his back), a renewed Dex (even with the dreadful first half and time in AAA, he has 50 extra base hits and his OPS is .771, not bad for a CF), that has the makings of a good team, depending on pitching and not getting league worst production at 3B and 2B.
Was just watching the Root guys talk about CDI. I would be interested if they decide to keep him (and I think you only trade him if you have a guy you really want and they want CDI) if they should give him ABs at 3B and 1B next year, especially as they mix in Rosario. We need to see more RH power and he has it (esp if they keep Giambi, that is one less RH bat that can play elsewhere). Anyways things that were on my mind today.