DENVER – Quinn Priester's 2025 debut went quite well on Thursday afternoon.
The rest of the game for the Milwaukee Brewers? Not so much.
After bashing the ball around spacious Coors Field the previous two nights, they twice failed to take advantage of bases-loaded, nobody-out situations and in the end – as it so often can at altitude – it came back to bite the Brewers.
Joel Payamps then surrendered five runs in a nightmarish eighth inning punctuated by Brenton Doyle's bases-clearing double, and Milwaukee eventually fell, 7-2.
A 1-for-13 performance with runners in scoring position pretty much said it all.
"We didn't take advantage of all the opportunities we could," said manager Pat Murphy. "It's not like guys aren't trying. It's just tough, day game after a night game sometimes, and you don't execute. It looks like we're not trying, but I know the guys were.
"And we didn't pitch at the end. That's all there's to it. Made bad pitches, and they took advantage of it."
BOX SCORE:Rockies 7, Brewers 2
Quinn Priester did his job
Priester, acquired in a trade Monday, opened the game in rather inauspicious fashion as he allowed a leadoff home run to Doyle in a 1-2 count.
Priester allowed a couple singles, a couple walks and also worked around a rare error from Brice Turang in the first three innings before finding his groove in the fourth.
That inning, he erased a leadoff single by starting a nifty 1-4-3 double play and then stranded Mickey Moniak, who doubled, at second by striking out Jacob Stallings.
The fifth was easily Priester's best, as he retired the side in order. Over 72 pitches, he scattered five hits, a run and two walks while striking out four.
"I thought I settled in later in the game nicely," Priester said. "With all the hectic-ness this week, getting through those first three – even though they were a little sloppy – I thought it was just a nice job of limiting the damage. Then, the last two innings were really clean, and that's what we're going to try to do more of going forward."
Said Murphy: "Good start. Impressed with him, and he competed. He's got some work to do to be a full-time, major-league pitcher. But, for his first outing in Colorado, I thought he did the job."
The Brewers had Ryan Feltner on the ropes
Milwaukee trailed, 1-0, when Christian Yelich and William Contreras opened the fourth with doubles to tie the score.
Starter Ryan Feltner went off the rails from there, walking Garrett Mitchell and Jake Bauers and then falling behind Joey Ortiz, 3-0, before Ortiz hit a 108-mph rocket right at Ryan McMahon at third base for the first out.
Oliver Dunn and Eric Haase followed by striking out, leaving it a 1-1 game, Feltner pumping his fist as he stalked off the mound and the Brewers frustrated with their bad luck the day after piling up 17 runs.
"The goal is to put a good swing on the ball, and I did," Ortiz said. "Sometimes it goes right to the player, and you've got to tip your cap."
Another missed opportunity
The Rockies took the lead back at 2-1 in the seventh after Abner Uribe walked Moniak, Stallings bunted him up and Doyle singled to center.
The Brewers answered right back in the eighth, with Jackson Chourio legging out an infield hit – extending his hitting streak to 12 games – and then Yelich and Contreras walking to load the bases.
Murphy pinch-hit the switch-hitting Isaac Collins for Garrett Mitchell with left-hander Scott Alexander pitching, and Collins grounded into a run-scoring double play on Alexander's first pitch.
Rhys Hoskins then struck out, dropping Milwaukee to 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position at that time and increasing the frustration level exponentially.
"It's kind of crazy how things can switch from day to day," said Ortiz. "And that's why you keep playing to the last inning. Because who knows? We could have pushed some runs across and made the game longer.
"You just never know what's going to happen. So, you just keep playing, keep grinding."
Things got out of hand against Joel Payamps
It took only three batters for Colorado to grab the lead back from Joel Payamps in the eighth, as McMahon doubled, Sean Bouchard walked and Michael Toglia doubled to make it 3-2.
Four batters later, who else but Doyle came back to the plate, this time with the bases loaded. Doyle barely missed hitting a grand slam to left and instead settled for a bases-clearing double, ending the day for Payamps.
Elvin Rodríguez entered and allowed the fourth double of the frame, this one to rookie Zac Veen, that capped the scoring.
"He didn't pitch well," Murphy said of the right-hander, whose ERA soared to 16.88 with the blowup outing. "He didn't pitch well."
What time is the Brewers game?
Time:2:10 p.m. CT
Whatchannelis the Brewers game on today? TV, stream
TV channel:FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin
Stream:Streaming is available on the FanDuel Sports Wisconsin app.
Brewers lineup
- Brice Turang 2B
- Jackson Chourio RF
- Christian Yelich LF
- William Contreras DH
- Garrett Mitchell CF
- Jake Bauers 1B
- Joey Ortiz SS
- Oliver Dunn 3B
- Eric Haase C
Rockies lineup
- Brenton Doyle CF
- Zac Veen RF
- Kyle Farmer SS
- Ryan McMahon 3B
- Nick Martini DH
- Michael Toglia 1B
- Tyler Freeman 2B
- Mickey Moniak LF
- Jacob Stallings C
Brewers schedule
Brewers at Diamondbacks, Friday 8:40 p.m.:Milwaukee TBA vs. Arizona LHP Eduardo Rodríguez (0-1, 6.10). TV – FanDuel Sports Extra. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Diamondbacks, Saturday 7:10 p.m.:Milwaukee RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 2.45) vs. Arizona RHP Corbin Burnes (0-1, 5.79). TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Diamondbacks, Sunday 3:10 p.m.:Milwaukee RHP Freddy Peralta (1-1, 2.00) vs. Arizona RHP Zac Gallen (1-2, 5.28). TV – FanDuel Sports Extra. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
