Colorado @ Milwaukee preview
Miller Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 1, 2013 ) Colorado 4, Milwaukee 5
The Milwaukee Brewers used a late surge to collect a win on Opening Day for the first time in five years. They’ll try to start the season with two consecutive wins for the first time since 2008 on Tuesday at home when they continue their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies and ex-Brewers starter Jorge De La Rosa. Milwaukee began its season in dramatic fashion with its 10-inning victory Monday, scoring three times in the eighth inning to rally from a two-run deficit and overcoming Dexter Fowler’s game-tying solo homer in the ninth with a walk-off sacrifice fly from Jonathan Lucroy.
The victory also was a good sign for a club that went 7-11 in extra innings and 24-32 in one-run games a season ago. First-year Rockies manager Walt Weiss also has reason to be encouraged from the opener, getting homers from Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez in the same game for the first time since May 27 after both struggled with injuries during Colorado's franchise-worst 64-98 run in 2012.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Root Sports (Colorado), Fox Sports Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Jorge De La Rosa (2012: 0-2, 9.28 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Marco Estrada (5-7, 3.64)
De La Rosa - the highest-paid pitcher on the team – enters 2013 as a bit of a wild card after making only three September starts last season when he took longer than expected to return from his June 2011 Tommy John surgery. The injury-prone 31-year-old was enjoying a solid spring training (2.84 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 12 2/3 innings) after being limited to 13 starts over the last two years, but was scratched from a scheduled start March 20 because of forearm tightness.
Estrada may not spend much time in the No. 2 slot of the rotation after the signing of Kyle Lohse, but acquitted himself well in his first extended run as a starter in 2012. Although he gave up 11 of his 18 home runs at Miller Park, the 29-year-old registered a 2.97 ERA and 0.92 WHIP at home while holding hitters to a .214 average. Estrada has been sensational in three career appearances against Colorado with 15 strikeouts and a 2.25 ERA over eight innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee has matched its win total against Colorado from last season (1-5).
2. De La Rosa went 4-7 with a 6.23 ERA in 61 appearances with the Brewers over two-plus seasons after debuting with the club in 2004.
3. Norichika Aoki, who homered Monday against Jhoulys Chacin, also recorded his first career home run last season against the right-hander.
PREDICTION: Rockies 5, Brewers 2