MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jim Tracy’s Colorado Rockies road show just keeps rolling.
Trailing by two runs to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Rockies rallied to take the lead with three runs in the seventh inning and continue their recent road resurgence with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.
The Rockies now have won six straight on the road under Tracy, their recently named new manager — including a four-game sweep of the Cardinals.
“The great thing about the last eight to 10 days is that they’re having success and their confidence is growing,” said Tracy, who took over for Clint Hurdle on May 29. “We’re young, but we also have great veteran leadership.”
It was a big night for recent Triple-A call-up Carlos Gonzalez, who had a pair of doubles and an RBI. Colorado might have started slow under Hurdle, but Gonzalez has known nothing but winning under Tracy since he was recalled June 5.
“It’s a great feeling to win every game that I’ve been here,” Gonzalez said.
Rockies starter Jason Hammel (3-3) gave up only two runs and five hits in six innings, but Colorado’s offense had a tough time scoring off of Brewers starter Braden Looper.
The Rockies finally broke through in the seventh, as back-to-back doubles by Troy Tulowitzki and Gonzalez cut the Brewers’ lead to 2-1. Looper left the game, and Gonzalez stole third base off reliever Mark DiFelice.
DiFelice got Chris Iannetta to pop out and was replaced by Todd Coffey, who walked pinch hitter Seth Smith. Coffey (1-1), who had been considered a solid addition to Milwaukee’s bullpen going into Tuesday’s game, then surrendered the lead when Clint Barmes’ sacrifice fly to center scored Smith and put Colorado ahead 3-2.
“The bottom line for tonight is, I blew it,” Coffey said. “I come into that situation right there, I’ve got to keep that run from scoring. Tonight’s on me.”
Mitch Stetter then came in to strike out Todd Helton and end the inning.
It was the continuation of a recent problem for the Brewers, whose pitching has been a pleasant surprise for most of the season. Milwaukee has held leads in each of its last eight games, but is 3-5 during that stretch.
“Our bullpen has pitched very well,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “And they aren’t going to do that all year.”
And Milwaukee couldn’t muster a baserunner after the fourth. Hammel left after six, Matt Daley and Manuel Corpas shut the Brewersdown in the seventh and eighth, and Huston Street pitched the ninth for his 10th save.
“Once they got the lead, they ran their guys in there from the bullpen,” Macha said. “And three up, three down, three straight innings.”
Looper gave up only two hits through the first four innings, then pitched out of jams in the fifth and sixth before the Rockies finally got to him in the seventh.
Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell led off the game with a standup triple, then scored on a groundout by J.J. Hardy to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Mat Gamel added his second career home run in the second, a solo shot deep to center field that put the Brewers up 2-0.
Milwaukee’s Mike Cameron, who was in the lineup after appealing his two-game suspension for contact with an umpire, then had a chance to break the game open in the third after a double by Ryan Braun and intentional walk to Prince Fielder.
But Cameron took a called third strike to end the inning. Cameron took a long look back toward home plate umpire Dan Bellino before walking away from the plate.<
Notes: C Yorvit Torrealba has returned to the U.S. and could rejoin the team Friday. Torrealba’s son and brother-in-law were kidnapped, then released, in Venezuela last week. … The Rockies traded RHP Jason Grilli to Texas for a player to be named later or cash. … Dave Bush will start Wednesday’s game for Milwaukee despite taking a line drive off his elbow in his last start. … Milwaukee reinstated DiFelice from the bereavement list and optioned RHP Mike Burns to Triple-A Nashville.