DENVER – Ryan Braun hit a two-run homer, and Taylor Jungmann threw six innings to help the Milwaukee Brewers snap a six-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over the scuffling Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
Aramis Ramirez added a solo shot, as the Brewers rediscovered the long ball after hitting only one homer in their losing streak. They had two off Jorge De La Rosa (4-3) in a three-run first inning.
Ben Paulsen finished a homer shy of the cycle for the Rockies, who have lost five in a row.
Relying almost exclusively on his fastball, Jungmann (2-1) handcuffed Colorado’s potent offense before losing steam. The right-hander allowed four runs and eight hits.
De La Rosa, who became the franchise’s all-time wins leader in his last outing, allowed six runs and 11 hits in five innings. He gave up a combined 11 hits and six runs over his previous three June starts.
The Brewers tied a season high with 16 hits. Everyone in the lineup had at least one, including the first of Jungmann’s career – a bloop single in the fifth.
Ramirez and Shane Peterson had three hits each to help manager Craig Counsell pick up a win against the organization that selected him in the 11th round of the 1992 draft. Counsell played two seasons with Colorado before being traded.
The Rockies took a while to figure out Jungmann, who was making his third start after being recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs. He retired nine of his first 10 hitters, the only hiccup a quirky infield single by Paulsen in the second. A pigeon that landed near second baseman Hernan Perez flew away as the ball rolled toward it.
Trailing 6-0 in the fourth, Nolan Arenado hit a two-run triple and Paulsen added an RBI double. In the sixth, Paulsen’s RBI triple made it 6-4.
Milwaukee added three runs in the seventh to quiet the crowd and quell any thoughts of a rally.
Before the game, manager Walt Weiss had a meeting with some of his hitters to take the temperature of the clubhouse in the midst of their slide. Weiss said he does that from time to time because “the most important element for me is our mindset and where we’re at.”
