Colorado @ Milwaukee preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 26, 2014 ) Colorado 4, Milwaukee 7

The Colorado Rockies are locked in a swoon and their inability to retire Aramis Ramirez is making it difficult to pull out of the funk. Ramirez and the Milwaukee Brewers will attempt to hand the Rockies their 10th loss in 11 contests when they host the second of a four-game set on Friday. Ramirez is 10-for-16 with three home runs in four games against Colorado over the last week.

Ramirez hit one of three home runs for the Brewers in a 7-4 win in the series opener on Thursday and has six multi-hit games in his last 10 starts. Rockies pitchers have surrendered a total of 35 runs in four losses to the Brewers since last weekend and are struggling to find strong starting pitching options in the last two weeks. Milwaukee has won eight of its last 11 games and has scored at least six runs in seven of those triumphs.

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, ROOT (Colorado), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies LH Tyler Matzek (1-2, 5.19 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Kyle Lohse (9-2, 3.20)

Matzek was on fire in his first start, striking out seven and allowing two runs in seven innings to earn a win, but is having a tough time in the last two. The 23-year-old failed to get through six innings in the last two turns while totaling two strikeouts and six walks. Four of those walks came over 5 1/3 innings on Sunday, when Matzek was reached for five runs in a loss to Milwaukee.

Lohse went up against Matzek and came out with the win despite going only five innings and yielding three runs on seven hits. The veteran has allowed more than three earned runs just twice in his 16 starts this season and has not surrendered a home run in any of his last three turns. Lohse owns a 6-3 record with a 3.88 ERA in 12 career starts against Colorado.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rockies SS Troy Tulowitzki (.352) and Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy (.328) are the top two hitters in the NL and each singled in Thursday’s opener.

2. Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado (fractured finger) took grounders and hit off a tee before Thursday’s game and could begin a rehab assignment by the end of the month.

3. Milwaukee 2B Scooter Gennett is 3-for-6 with two home runs and seven RBIs in the last two games.

PREDICTION: Brewers 8, Rockies 5