Brewers fall 7-2 in Quinn Priester’s debut

Brewers can’t make the most of early opportunities

Box Score

The Milwaukee Brewers came so close to putting up another massive number on the scoreboard but ultimately fell short in a 7-2 loss to the Rockies.

The offense, after a deluge of runs over the past two days, couldn’t make the most of the few opportunities it created. After an early 1-0 deficit, the Brewers responded in the fourth inning when Christian Yelich and William Contreras led off with back-to-back doubles. That, at least, could be one consolation in the loss for Brewers fans. The team had been on an excellent run, even without these two stars playing at their best.

After Contreras’ game-tying RBI, the Brewers loaded the bases with no outs. But Joey Ortiz hit a rocket to the third baseman, and the next two batters struck out to leave all three runners stranded. It felt particularly cruel to Joey Ortiz, who has struggled early in the season with a .516 OPS.

The team loaded the bases again in the eighth inning. Isaac Collins entered as a pinch-hitter. Once again, there were no outs. But when Collins hit into a double play that allowed the runner on third to score, it seemed like another wasted chance. The game was left tied at 2-2. That’s when the Rockies finally hit their big breakout of the game, scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning as they hit Joel Payamps hard in what’s been a rough start to the season for the veteran righty.

Payamps allowed a double, a walk, and a double to the first three batters faced. After loading the bases via an intentional walk and picking up a pair of outs, he surrendered a double to Doyle, who had five RBIs for Colorado today. It’s the second time already this season that Payamps has surrendered five runs. Doyle also had another successful series against Milwaukee, ultimately driving in seven of Colorado’s 10 runs.

The offense wasn’t sharp today, despite their previous success against the Rockies in this series. Milwaukee only managed four hits. They also worked six walks, which played a part in setting up run-scoring opportunities, but they couldn’t find that timely hit to take a lead at any point.

This was also Quinn Priester’s Milwaukee debut. It was effective, but it sure was nerve-wracking at times. He gave up a home run to Brenton Doyle, the first batter he faced all day. Runners reached in every inning except the fifth, which was Priester’s final inning of the afternoon.

There was one particularly strange series of moments in the third inning. Doyle hit a ball to Brice Turang, who made an impressive stop, but a bouncing throw made it too difficult for Jake Bauers to scoop at first base. The next batter, Zac Veen, hit a bunt that popped out right to Priester, but it bounced off his glove. He was able to get the runner out at second, but it could have been a double play. As Veen attempted to steal second base, Eric Haase threw him out with the help of a nice tag from Turang. But, Priester once again put pressure on himself after allowing a walk and a single before escaping the inning unscathed.

Despite the stressful circumstances, Priester held the Rockies to just one run across five innings, which is a great success for a pitcher in his first start with the team. His 4.71 ERA last year isn’t much to be encouraged about, so even if it was a tense start, he was able to get the job done. The offense fell flat, though, unable to make the most of the tight score.

While the Brewers couldn’t secure the sweep, they did win the series. They travel to Arizona tomorrow to start a three-game series. First pitch is set for 8:40 p.m. in the desert.