MLB Tonight on the Brewers' Zack Greinke
After a quick four-game road trip to the West Coast, Friday's starter Zack Greinke is just hoping not to run out of gas.
Brilliant early in Sunday's contest against the Pirates, in which he didn't allow a hit through four innings, the Brewers' righty had a 47-pitch fifth inning.
Giving up all five runs and six hits in the fifth, Greinke wound up going just five innings, while walking one and striking out five. Yet, behind a Brewers offense that scored nine runs in support, Greinke got the win, moving to 2-1 with a 6.60 ERA.
"This is how it's been in every game," Greinke said. "I feel good to start, and then I start to slide a bit later on. I felt better today. It just didn't work out on my part."
Meanwhile, Rockies starter Jason Hammel has had many of the same issues.
While he pounded the zone in his last start on Sunday against the Padres, Hammel yielded all six runs after the third inning.
In the start, Hammel went 6 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on six hits, while walking three and striking out five. With the loss, he moved to 3-3 on the season, with a 3.71 ERA.
Yet, the righty has pitched at least six innings in each of his last seven starts, dating back to April 11, with a record of 2-3 and an ERA of 3.35 in those starts.
Even better for Hammel, he's been superb in three career starts against the Brewers, with a record on 3-0 and a 2.95 ERA.
Rockies: Morales traded
After Thursday's 7-1 win over the Phillies, the Rockies announced that the club traded left-handed pitcher Franklin Morales to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Morales is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 14 relief appearances this season for Colorado. During that span, he gave up 10 hits, eight walks and struck out 11.
� Rockies left fielder Carlos Gonzalez left Thursday's game against the Phillies in the bottom of the third inning with left groin tightness. He was replaced by Ryan Spilborghs.
� Kept out of Thursday's lineup against the Phillies with a stiff back, Todd Helton was replaced in the lineup by Jason Giambi.
"Todd is a little bit stiff," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "I think it was something to do with that slide [on Wednesday] night. We came in and were open-minded to see where we were at. We decided to back off it for a day. In the meantime, we'll get Jason out there and get him some at-bats."
� With Giambi replacing Helton in the starting lineup for Thursday's game, he hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career, knocking the ball out of the park in his first three at-bats against the Phillies.
Brewers: Morgan takes batting practice
Outfielder Nyjer Morgan took early batting practice for the first time on Thursday, a sign he's getting close to coming off the disabled list. Morgan has been on the 15-day DL since May 6, with a fractured left middle finger suffered in his second game back from a separate DL stint for a right thigh bruise.
"We'll see how it goes. I think he should come pretty quick, though," manager Ron Roenicke said. "Roger [Caplinger, Milwaukee's head athletic trainer] is worried more about his throwing than he is actually the hitting part, the pressure you put [on the ball] when you let go of it 100 percent."
� The Brewers won't get their first taste of Interleague Play until June, when they travel to Boston from June 17-19 to begin a brutal stretch of their schedule. That series begins a run of 15 consecutive Interleague games against the Red Sox, Rays, Twins, Yankees, and Twins again.
Worth noting
� Hammel is 8-5 with a 3.91 ERA in 17 career appearances (16 starts) against the NL Central.
� The Rockies are 6-8 in one-run games this season, while dropping five consecutive one-run contests.
� Greinke may be the Brewers' only well-rested player when the team begins its series against the Rockies. He, along with Saturday starter Shaun Marcum both traveled back to Milwaukee on Thursday afternoon before the rest of the Brewers finished their series in San Diego with a nighttime getaway game. The itineraries distributed to players called for a 5:30 a.m. CT arrival in Milwaukee.
� With Thursday's 1-0 loss, eight of the Brewers' 23 losses have been by one run.
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