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 strikeout rate is 29.8%, and its early-season offensive slide looks like an avalanche. Colorado fell to 2-8, tying the 2005 and ’24 clubs for the worst start through 10 games in franchise history.
“We have a number of guys not swinging the bat,” manager Bud Black said. “Collectively, it’s not a good thing going on right now. Hopefully, we snap out of it at some point. … Tonight we ran into one of the best starters in the game in (Freddy) Peralta.”
The Rockies’ two highlights were a solo homer by Brenton Doyle in the third off 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.
“It was amazing; a lot of weight off the shoulders, ” Veen said about his hit.
It was Veen’s idea to lay down the two-out bunt.
“That was me, seeing the third baseman back,” he said.
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 a tad off, but only one of Freeland’s pitches in the inning was crushed. Freeland left a 91.8 mph fastball over the plate, and red-hot Jackson Chourio smoked it to left for a two-run double.
“They were able to string a good inning together,” Freeland said. “I got the ball on the ground, minus that double. I executed good pitches, but they put some good swings on them and found some holes in the infield. … I felt really good tonight.”
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.
“The big hit has been eluding us, with the expecting of Sunday,” Black said, referring to Colorado’s 12-5 win over the Athletics. “Runners in scoring position, these first 10 games, is where the issues are. Strikeouts are part of it. To get RBIs, you have to put the ball in play.”
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. Toglia is fanning at a 47.6% clip.
Wednesday’s pitching matchup
Brewers LHP Tyler Alexander (1-0, 2.00 ERA) at Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (0-1, 0.00)
6:40 p.m. Wednesday, Coors Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM
Trending: Senzatela, off to an excellent start this season, has fared well against Milwaukee during his career. He is 1-0 in six career starts with a 3.48 ERA, walking 12 and striking out 27.
Pitching probables
Thursday: Brewers TBD at Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-0, 3.60), 1:10 p.m.
Friday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-1, 2.45) at Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (1-1, 2.70), 7:40 p.m.
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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