The Brewers had plenty of loud contact Sunday afternoon at American Family Field, but the Rockies had the early punch and the better timing, and that was enough to send Milwaukee to a 5-2 loss in the series opener.
Milwaukee never really disappeared from the game. The Brewers hit two solo home runs, piled up nine hits, and even owned the top five exit velocities and nine of the top 11 in the game. But too many balls found gloves, and Colorado’s first few innings built a cushion the Brewers couldn’t fully erase.
Shane Drohan was tagged early, and the first inning set the tone for Colorado. After Jake McCarthy struck out to open the game, Kyle Karros dropped a blooper down the right-field line that landed between Luis Lara, Jake Bauers and Brice Turang for a double.
Cole Carrigg followed with an RBI double off the left-field wall, then Hunter Goodman added an RBI single to make it 2-0. Willi Castro grounded to second on what looked like a double play, but after a Rockies challenge he was ruled safe at first, and Troy Johnston eventually ended the inning with a flyout.
The Brewers answered immediately in their own way. Christian Yelich opened the bottom of the first by launching a 413-foot opposite-field homer over the bullpen, a clean jolt for a team that has made a habit of playing from behind without panicking. Jackson Chourio nearly matched him with a drive to center, and Brice Turang added a one-out single, but Rockies starter Tomoyuki Sugano escaped without further damage.
Colorado kept nudging ahead. In the third, McCarthy tripled into the right-field corner and Karros followed with a hit to right. Karros advanced to second but was called out after another Rockies challenge, and the lead grew to 3-1 before Drohan got the next two outs.
Yelich came close again in the third, sending a ball to the left-field warning track before McCarthy made a jumping catch. Chourio and Turang then strung together back-to-back two-out singles, but William Contreras flew out to center to end the threat.
The Rockies added another run in the fourth the Brewers’ way. Castro singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and then scored on a sac fly from Mickey Moniak. After a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning, Colorado led 4-1 through four.
Milwaukee kept pressing, even when the damage didn’t show up right away. Yelich nearly left the yard again in the fifth, only to see another deep fly tracked down on the warning track in center. In the sixth, Chourio smoked a ball to center for the Brewers’ eighth straight out, but Turang finally broke through with a long homer to right-center, his 15th, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
That was the Brewers’ best chance to flip the game. Contreras singled, Garrett Mitchell walked, and Sugano was done.
But Colorado went to Victor Vodnik, and Milwaukee couldn’t cash in. Andrew Vaughn, pinch-hitting for Lara, worked the count full before striking out, though both runners moved up on the dropped third strike.
Bauers then grounded out with the tying run on second, and the inning slipped away.
Colorado answered right back in the seventh. Moniak walked to start the inning, Grant Anderson came in, and the Rockies countered with left-handed pinch-hitter TJ Rumfield, who lined an RBI double into the right-field corner to restore the three-run edge. Ezequiel Tovar popped up on a bunt attempt, McCarthy popped out in foul territory, and Karros struck out, but the damage was done.
From there, the Brewers ran out of runway. Ortiz, Hamilton and Yelich went down in order in the seventh.
Craig Yoho worked a scoreless eighth around a walk, and Contreras singled with two outs, but Milwaukee couldn’t build on it. In the ninth, Rumfield and Tovar opened with back-to-back singles off Yoho, but McCarthy flew out and Tovar was thrown out trying to steal second.
That left the Brewers needing three against Jordan Romano, making his seventh appearance with the Rockies. Vaughn singled to center on Romano’s second pitch, and Bauers followed with another single after a long at-bat.
With nobody out and the tying run at the plate, the door was open. Ortiz popped out, Gary Sánchez struck out, and Yelich - who had come close to a third homer all afternoon - flew out to right to end it.
Turang finished 3-for-4 with the homer, Yelich added his own long ball and looked dangerous throughout, and Contreras had two singles. But Milwaukee’s only runs came on those two solo shots.
Drohan lasted six innings and allowed six hits, two walks, six strikeouts and five earned runs. Anderson and Yoho combined for three scoreless innings, though Anderson did let his inherited runner score.
The Brewers will try to even the series tomorrow night, when Robert Gasser faces Ryan Feltner at 6:10 p.m.
In Other News...
Brewers Make Early Roster Shakeup That Could Hint At Deadline Plans
The Brewers made a quick roster adjustment Tuesday, reinstating David Hamilton from the 10-day injured list and clearing a spot by designating Braden Shewmake for assignment. It is the kind of small transaction that can look routine on the surface, but in Milwaukee it also fits into the larger roster puzzle as the club tries to keep its infield depth intact while preserving flexibility for the weeks ahead.
Shewmake, who arrived from the Houston Astros before the All-Star break, got a brief look with the Brewers and showed the sort of versatility teams value when injuries start to stack up. If he gets through waivers, Milwaukee could keep him in the organization by sending him to Triple-A, a possibility that would leave the front office with one more layer of depth as it weighs deadline moves and eventual returns from the injured list. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Megill Had The Perfect Response To Brewers Trade Buzz
The Brewers are shaping up to be one of the more interesting teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches, with Matt Arnold and the front office expected to take a more aggressive swing than they have in past years. Milwaukee has been linked to help both in the rotation and in the bullpen, and the expectation around the industry is that at least one reliever could be added as the club looks to sharpen the roster for the stretch run.
For Trevor Megill, none of that appears to be rattling the day-to-day job. He has settled in as Milwaukees clear-cut closer after Abner Uribe briefly handled the role earlier this season, and his focus remains on the ninth inning rather than the rumor mill. Still, with the Brewers likely to make bullpen changes before the deadline passes, Megill knows a new face could be walking into the clubhouse soon enough. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Are Circling Detroits Ace And Tigers Fans Know What That Means
The Brewers are already being linked to a more aggressive posture for the 2026 trade deadline, and the early buzz says they are not waiting around to see how the market develops. Milwaukee has talked with Detroit and San Diego about pitching help, a sign the front office is at least exploring the kind of swing that can change a postseason race rather than just patch a hole.
Tarik Skubal sits at the center of the conversation because a pitcher of his caliber would instantly reshape a rotation that has been thinned by injuries. Detroit would not move an arm like that cheaply, and the asking price figures to start with controllable starting pitching plus more beyond it, which is why this feels less like a rumor mill item and more like the beginning of a real test for Milwaukees willingness to pay up. [Read more 🡒]