The arching and worn green pillars that span over Miller Park have become a trap for the Colorado Rockies in recent contests.
In their latest opportunity to stop their losing skid in Milwaukee, the visitors failed, falling 4-3 to the Brewers, their 10th loss in their last 12 tries dating back to the start of 2018.
The offensive production was halted until a final inning push, a brilliant pitching performance fell apart late and the Rockies losing streak reached three.
Ahead are takeaways from another failed effort for the sputtering Rockies.
Marquez falters late after early bid for history
German Marquez was seldom considered the National League’s best pitcher last year. His dominant second half fell prey to the numbers he registered in the first, taking his name out of awards consideration.
The second half has stretched into 2019 and with it, Marquez is beginning to build a case for the first National League Cy Young in franchise history.
Through the use of a fastball and curveball combination, the Rockies young ace dominated the Brewers behind unrivaled aggression. Of his first 40 pitches, 30 were strikes in his first four frames.
Five perfect frames gave way to a three-hit sixth for the Brewers, but the youngster bore down, allowing only one run despite having runners on the corners with no outs.
In the end, Marquez allowed four earned runs and six hits across seven innings, striking out six without a single walk.
When he’s on, few starters rival what Marquez brings to the rubber, something that will be hidden in the box score after his latest start’s final frames.
Chacin does his old friend no favors
All the way through the farm system after signing in 2004 as an amateur free agent, Jhoulys Chacin was a Rockies’ hurler. In 2015, the club released him, ending his six-year stint atop the organization.
He has exacted his revenge each chance he’s gotten since.
In his fifth start against his former club, Chacin tossed six scoreless frames and allowed only a pair of hits. He also held the 1-5 hitters of the Rockies to a mere 1-for-11 combined mark at the plate en route to retiring the final 10 hitters he faced.
Nothing the Brewers’ starter does is truly elite. No radar-shattering fastball or otherworldly curveball. What Chacin does possess is a command of the strike zone, a facet he flashed often Tuesday night, producing 15 called strikes in his 91-pitch effort.
Miller Park’s offense-inducing ways evade visitors once again
Several factors have turned the Brewers’ home park into a hitter’s haven. Unlike many parks in the league, a batter’s eye without obstruction pays dividends to run production.
For the Rockies, the effects of the acclaimed vision aid have yet to reveal themselves.
Dating back to last year’s postseason sweep, the club has gone 22-for-157 (.140) across five games, scoring only six total runs in that span.
Their record in those games is now 0-5, with their latest lose clinching, at the very least, a series split against the Brewers after winning their last four.
Without offense, the Rockies wasted a dominant outing from Marquez that likely would have yielded even greater results without the pressure of being forced to carry the club.
Brewers proving they’re a force to be reckoned with
Most teams in baseball, if left without their best player, would likely crumble. The Brewers have bucked the trend against the Rockies.
Christian Yelich was forced to the bench on Sunday with a tweaked back, a factor that has yet to rear its head despite his absence extending through Tuesday.
The latest victory for the Brew Crew pushed their record to 17-14, good for second place in the NL Central pending the results of the Chicago Cubs late-night bout in Seattle. Success for the club has come despite a negative run differential for the campaign’s majority.
A dominant offense has been the story for the Brewers as they entered their latest bout with a top-10 mark in runs (148), home runs (56) and slugging percentage (.457).
Picking up the slack in Yelich’s stead has been Jesus Aguilar. After beginning the season ice cold, the slugger has three long balls in the last two days, including an opposite-field shot to expand the Brewers’ lead:
JESUS AGUILAR IS BACK.
THREE HOME RUNS IN TWO DAYS.pic.twitter.com/zFNCY5CECU
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) May 1, 2019
Once last year’s NL Most Valuable Player returns, with Yasmani Grandal, Lorenzo Cain and company by his side, the Brewers will only improve.