Brewers turn to Jacob Misiorowski and his heater vs. Rockies

The Milwaukee Brewers began their week surging to one of the best records in baseball before dropping two home games to San Francisco.

The Brewers nearly made it three straight losses before Friday night's late offensive surge got them back into the win column.

A 9-7 victory in 10 innings over the Colorado Rockies on Friday night opened a three-game weekend series in Denver, and they will turn to young flame-thrower Jacob Misiorowski on Saturday night in an effort to make it two wins in a row.

Misiorowski (6-2, 1.65 ERA) will face Colorado for the first time in his career, while the Rockies have not named a starter.

Colorado originally had slated Tanner Gordon to take the mound but placed him on the 15-day injured list Friday with right hip impingement, a move retroactive to Tuesday. The Rockies recalled Zach Agnos from Triple-A Albuquerque to take Gordon's roster spot.

Agnos was scheduled to start for the Isotopes on Friday night, so he could get the nod Saturday night.

No matter which pitcher starts for Colorado, a win will be tough against one of the best pitchers in the majors. Misiorowski's 1.65 ERA is second to Philadelphia's Cristopher Sanchez (1.46), but Misiorowski leads in strikeouts with 108.

Misiorowski, a right-hander, is coming off seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win at Houston on Sunday, the seventh time in 12 starts he has recorded a quality start. In May, he went 5-0 with an 0.23 ERA and said he is ready for the challenge of pitching at a higher altitude.

"For me, altitude shouldn't be a big factor in my game," Misiorowski said. "OK, it makes my curveball a little worse. Instead of 12 inches of drop, maybe I get eight. It will still work. For me, it's not that big of a deal to go up there. Maybe I give up one nuke because of the altitude. It's going to happen. The velocity might even pick up."

Misiorowski certainly will challenge Rockies hitters, including catcher Hunter Goodman, who has started June on a tear after a May in which he batted only .219. Goodman has hit safely in all four games this month, including three home runs, for a .333 batting average.

Colorado's Kyle Karros also is getting hot. He had at least one hit in four straight games before going 0-for-4 on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Angels. He didn't start Friday night but came on as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and went 1-for-2.

Karros, 23, made his major league debut last season after just 237 games in the minors, and he has been a solid contributor at third base.

"He stays with it every day," Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. "He just looks more comfortable as the season goes on, with his first chance in the big leagues. He's grinding, and his skills are slowly but surely coming out."

-Field Level Media