Rockies claw back but fall short in 10-6 loss at Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE — Rockies Report, Game 82:

ROCKIES BOTTOM LINE: Objectively, the Rockies are different this month than in the previous two.

Their record is better, if helped by having seven games against a pair of the National League’s bottom feeders, against whom they went 6-1 — which accounts for two-thirds of their June wins. They are certainly more resilient, a quality displayed Friday night in what turned into a 10-6 loss.

In a doomed season, victories sometimes have to be measured by the small things, such as displaying a virtue like resilience. That was required after six-run Brewers explosion in the fourth chased starter Kyle Freeland in his return from the injured list and put the Rox into chase mode themselves.

As has been their wont this month, the Rockies fought back after absorbing the haymaker.

Brenton Doyle and Braxton Fulford immediately reached base with singles to open the fifth, setting up what would be a three-run inning that sliced the Brewers’ lead in half.

Milwaukee quickly padded its advantage back to four runs when Jimmy Herget — who relieved Kyle Freeland in the fifth inning after just 67 pitches — balked with William Contreras on third.

But the Rox got the run back in the sixth when Fulford — starting a second consecutive game while Hunter Goodman deals with a tight hamstring — lined a two-out double to the left-field wall, scoring Ryan McMahon from first base.

The rookie understudy catcher wasn’t done. In the eighth inning, Fulford capped his 3-for-4 night with a lined shot toward the gap in left center field that skipped out of a lunging Isaac Collins’ glove, scoring Kyle Farmer and McMahon.

It was Fulford’s second double of the evening and pushed his average since being called up earlier this month to .308.

Here come the Rockies! pic.twitter.com/ufqiTR8pTX

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) June 28, 2025

But Ryan Rolison and Jake Bird struggled in the bottom of the inning, allowing Milwaukee to push its edge back to four runs. Rolison yielded a pair of singles to open the inning before giving way to Bird, who got Joey Ortiz to fly out before walking Sal Frelick to load the bases.

Bird nearly got the double-play ball to get out of the inning, but Jackson Chourio beat the throw to first base to bring home the run and keep the inning alive. That proved to be the backbreaker, as Milwaukee designated hitter Christian Yelich drove Bird’s next pitch into the left-field corner, scoring two and settling matters.

Colorado fell to 18-64.

ROCKIES STARTER’S REPORT

Returning from a brief stint on the injured list, Freeland darted out of trouble in the first three innings but couldn’t escape in the fourth, immediately loading the bases on two singles and a four-pitch walk before Brice Turang’s two-RBI single to right field started Milwaukee’s onslaught.

Freeland settled down, drawing a pair of harmless fly balls before returning to the top of the Milwaukee order for a third time through. That proved to be his downfall. First, Frelick poked a single just past the glove of a diving Estrada, scoring Rhys Hoskins.

Three pitches later, Chourio pounded Freeland’s changeup for an opposite-field shot over the right-field fence. Freeland got out of the frame two pitches later, but the damage was done.

A LASER to the opposite field @Bryanchourio11 https://t.co/clGPrkAnFz pic.twitter.com/sfhR1Q2Z4Y

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 28, 2025

Freeland officially took the loss and dropped to 1-9. With just four innings of work, this was Freeland’s shortest appearance in his last seven starts.

BITS AND PIECES

IT WAS DECIDED FOR THE ROCKIES WHEN: Christian Yelich lined a double into the left-field corner in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring two to push the Milwaukee advantage to the final 10-6 margin.

NUMBER TO NOTE: 9.82 — Reliever Jake Bird’s ERA over his last seven appearances, including a run surrendered Friday night. Prior to June 13, his ERA was 1.41.

WHAT’S NEXT: Antonio Senzatela goes for his third consecutive win after posting a 1-10 ledger in his first 14 appearances this season. Milwaukee counters with Quinn Priester, who has settled into the Brewers’ rotation nicely since making what appeared at the time to be a spot start at Coors Field in April. First pitch will be at 2:10 p.m. MDT.

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