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The Milwaukee Brewers will head west for the second time in three weeks as they visit Denver and Los Angeles to take on the Rockies and Dodgers, respectively. Last time out west, Milwaukee went 3-4 against the Angels and Padres, taking two of three in Anaheim before dropping three of four in San Diego.
The Rockies, sitting at 28-55 and snapping a five-game losing streak on Sunday, have the second-worst record in baseball, ahead of only the White Sox. They’ve had a bit more success at home, going 16-24 compared to a 12-31 road record.
In terms of injuries, the Rockies have dealt with more position-player injuries than pitcher injuries. Outfielders Kris Bryant, Zac Veen, and Jordan Beck, as well as No. 1 prospect Adael Amador are all shelved at this point. Pitchers Germán Márquez, Antonio Senzatela, Jake Bird, and Josh Rogers are also out for extended periods.
Offensively, the Rockies are led by the left side of their infield. Third baseman Ryan McMahon and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar have combined for 26 homers, 78 RBIs, and 84 runs scored while both playing nearly every game (80 for McMahon, 81 for Tovar). Catcher Elias Díaz is just returning from injury, as he’s hit a solid .303/.352/.439 with five homers and 28 RBIs after earning an All-Star appearance a year ago. Michael Toglia has provided some pop with nine homers in 36 games, but he’s hitting just .187/.235/.447 on the year.
Brenton Doyle is Colorado’s biggest speed threat with 19 steals this season to go with seven homers and 27 RBIs, while Nolan Jones is having a rough season following a strong rookie campaign, hitting .192/.298/.323 with three homers in 39 games while dealing with injuries throughout the season. As a team, Colorado’s offense is right around the middle of the pack, hitting .245/.305/.392 (16th in OPS) with 79 homers (tied for 21st), 345 runs scored (19th), and 45 steals (tied for 21st).
On the mound, the bullpen has been anchored by Jalen Beeks, who’s made 35 appearances and leads the team with six saves while pitching to a 4.66 ERA. Tyler Kinley has made 34 appearances and is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities, though he has an 8.80 ERA across 30 2⁄3 innings. Reliever Victor Vodnik is second on the team with a 4.32 ERA over 41 2⁄3 innings, trailing only starter Cal Quantrill, who is having a quietly good season with a 3.78 ERA across 17 starts. Unlike the offense, the pitching staff for Colorado ranks dead last with a 5.68 ERA, more than one run worse than the next-worst team (4.66 ERA for Arizona). They’re also dead last with 536 strikeouts in 721 innings and just 15-for-27 in save opportunities.
Probable Pitchers
Monday, July 1 @ 7:40 p.m: Bryse Wilson (5-3, 3.89 ERA, 4.88 FIP) vs. Austin Gomber (1-5, 4.63 ERA, 4.89 FIP)
Wilson has had another solid season in Milwaukee, pitching to a 3.89 ERA and a 5-3 record across 19 appearances (nine starts). He’s been strong in two of his last three appearances, going 5 1⁄3 scoreless against the Reds and six scoreless against the Rangers with a rough five-run, 4 2⁄3-inning outing against the Padres in between those appearances. In three appearances (one start) against the Rockies, Wilson is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA and four strikeouts across 5 1⁄3 innings.
Despite his higher ERA, Gomber’s FIP is nearly identical to Wilson’s this season. He had a rough month of June, going 0-3 as the Rockies lost all five of his starts, allowing 24 earned runs across 23 innings (9.39 ERA). A former St. Louis Cardinal, Gomber has made seven appearances (three starts) against the Brewers, with a 5.40 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 16 2⁄3 career innings.
Tuesday, July 2 @ 7:40 p.m: Dallas Keuchel (0-0, 11.25 ERA, 8.40 FIP) vs. Ryan Feltner (1-7, 5.82 ERA, 4.15 FIP)
Keuchel, who joined Milwaukee from Seattle for just $1, had a rough start in his Brewers debut, but the offense picked him up in what ended up being a win for the Crew. He allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts in four innings. In four appearances (three starts) against the Rockies in his career, Keuchel is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 15 strikeouts across 21 1⁄3 innings.
Like Gomber, Feltner went 0-3 in the month of June, finishing with a 6.59 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 27 1⁄3 innings over five starts. He looked a tad better in his last start against the Astros, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk with two strikeouts in six innings of work. In two career starts against Milwaukee, Feltner has a 5.06 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 10 2⁄3 innings.
Wednesday, July 3 @ 7:40 p.m: Colin Rea (7-2, 3.61 ERA, 4.80 FIP) vs. Dakota Hudson (2-11, 5.84 ERA, 5.27 FIP)
Rea had a solid month of June, going 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA and 20 strikeouts across 27 2⁄3 innings. His last time out against the Cubs, Rea went 5 1⁄3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, two walks, and a pair of hit-by-pitches while striking out a season-high eight batters. In two career starts against the Rockies, Rea has a 4.35 ERA with nine strikeouts across 10 1⁄3 innings.
Hudson went 0-4 in June, allowing multiple runs in all five starts as he finished the month with a 7.77 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 24 1⁄3 innings. His last start came against the White Sox, where he allowed five runs on six hits and five walks across five innings. Another former Cardinal, Hudson is 1-4 with a 5.14 ERA and 28 strikeouts across 35 innings in 10 appearances (seven starts) against the Brewers.
Thursday, July 4 @ 7:10 p.m: Tobias Myers (5-2, 3.26 ERA, 4.40 FIP) vs. Cal Quantrill (6-5, 3.50 ERA, 4.33 FIP)
Myers continues to impress, closing out his month of June with a 1.44 ERA (five runs over 31 1⁄3 innings) and 24 strikeouts across five starts, pitching to a perfect 4-0 record. That also helped lower his season ERA from 5.40 on May 31 to 3.26 after his start Saturday against Chicago. This marks Myers’ first career appearance against Colorado.
Quantrill is the only Rockies starter to have a solid June, going 2-3 with a 4.26 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 31 2⁄3 innings in six starts. In his last start against the White Sox, he allowed five runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts across 5 1⁄3 innings. He’s only faced the Brewers once, allowing one hit and striking out one while recording just two outs.
Prediction
While the Rockies have had a rough few years, the Brewers have struggled in Colorado since sweeping them in the NLDS back in 2018. They’re just 13-14 against the Rockies from 2019-2023, including 3-10 at Coors Field. Still, I think this Rockies team has only gotten worse, so I’ll take the Brewers to win three of four before they head to L.A. for a big matchup with the Dodgers.
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