Colin Rea pitched for seven innings, Christian Yelich hit a home run, and the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Colorado Rockies 3-0 on Wednesday night.
“My pitching felt really good tonight,” Rea said. “Everything was working well. … We executed our plan throughout the game.”
Rea (8-2) allowed six hits, struck out four, and didn’t walk any batters, earning his fourth win in five starts.
“To pitch seven scoreless innings in Colorado is quite an accomplishment,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy commented on Rea. “He was focused all day. He made some excellent pitches, had a solid strategy, and stuck to it.”
William Contreras and Brice Turang both had three hits to contribute to the Brewers’ victory, marking their eighth win in the last ten games and extending their lead over St. Louis in the NL Central to seven games.
Yelich smashed a 446-foot home run in the first inning off a sinker from Dakota Hudson (2-12). Yelich has had success against Hudson in the past, going 7 for 14 with three home runs and drawing nine walks in 23 plate appearances.
“He’s a great hitter, but I left some pitches over the middle of the plate,” Hudson admitted.
Contreras had his second three-hit game in the last three outings and entered the night ranked third in the National League for hits with 99.
The game also marked a memorable evening for Yelich and Contreras, who were named as starters for the upcoming All-Star Game.
Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames was ejected in the fifth inning after disputing a called third strike with umpire Mark Ripperger.
Colorado struggled, losing for the seventh time in nine games and maintaining the NL’s worst record at 29-57, their poorest 86-game start in franchise history.
Hudson allowed seven hits and three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. His outing ended right after he walked Garrett Mitchell with the bases loaded.
In the eighth inning, Colorado had an opportunity to tie the game with runners on first and second and two outs, but Ryan McMahon, the team’s home run leader, flied out to deep left field, with Yelich making the catch near the wall.
