Offense a no-show — again — in loss to Milwaukee

BREWERS 7, ROCKIES 1

Michael Toglia of the Colorado Rockies steals second as Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers applies a tag at Coors Field in Denver on Tuesday. AARON ONTIVEROZ — THE DENVER POST

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By Patrick Saunders

psaunders@denverpost.com

There’s an old axiom in baseball that says hitting is contagious. But with the 2025 Rockies, strikeouts and empty at-bats are infectious.

In their 7-1 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 18,657, the Rockies managed only five hits, struck out 14 times and were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Colorado’s early-season offensive slide is looking like an avalanche.

The Rockies’ two highlights were a solo homer by Brenton Doyle in the third off Milwaukee right-hander Freddy Peralta and a bunt single by Zac Veen in the sixth.

Veen, Colorado’s No. 8 prospect, made his big-league debut and started in right field. He hit 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Peralta, per usual, confounded the Rockies, pitching five innings and giving up just three hits while striking out six.

Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland usually dominates the Brewers. He entered the game 5-2 with a 2.06 ERA against them. He had a 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA in four Coors Field starts. Tuesday night, however, Milwaukee bashed him for five runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The Brewers put the game away with a three-run seventh on three solo homers. Brice Turang, the No. 9 hitter, ended Freeland’s night with a 444-foot solo homer to center. Christian Yelich and William Contreras followed with back-to-back homers off right-hander Jimmy Herget.

Milwaukee’s four-run third inning was Freeland’s undoing.

Milwaukee set nine men to the plate, had six hits and scored four runs. Freeland’s pitch location — especially with his fastball — was but only one of Freeland’s pitches in the inning was crushed. Freeland left a 91.8 mph fastball over the heart of the plate, and red-hot Jackson Chourio smoked it to left for a two-run double.

From the fourth through the sixth, Freeland blanked the Brewers and gave up just one hit. In the fifth, Chourio blasted a triple to deep center, where Doyle chased the ball down but couldn’t make the catch at the wall. But Freeland got tough, striking out Yelich and Contreras before getting Rhys Hoskins to fly out softly to left.

The Rockies had a chance for a big inning in the third, but as is their wont, they couldn’t cash in. After Doyle’s one-out homer off Peralta, Ezequiel Tovar and Ryan McMahon followed with walks. But Kris Bryant, back in the cleanup spot, struck out and Kyle Farmer grounded out to first. Rally killed.

Bryant finished the night 0 for 4 and is hitting .148 with no home runs and one RBI. First baseman Michael Toglia is also in a deep funk, hitting .154 with no homers and no RBIs after 10 starts. Toglia hit 1 for 4 Tuesday and struck out three times.