Rockies go for sweep in Milwaukee

(SportsNetwork.com) - Wily Peralta will attempt to build off a breakout 2014 campaign on Wednesday evening when the Milwaukee Brewers try to avoid getting swept in their three-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Peralta went 11-15 with a 4.37 earned run average over 32 starts in 2013, his first full season in the majors, before leading Milwaukee in victories, innings pitched (198 2/3) and strikeouts (154) over 32 starts last season. The 25-year-old amassed a 17-11 record while pitching to a 3.53 ERA.

The righty is looking to further establish himself as a key part of the Brewers' rotation and looked sharp in the spring, going 3-0 over five starts with a 3.32 ERA. That included an outing versus the Rockies on March 12 in which he gave up just one hit over three innings.

That outing proves even more impressive given that Peralta may have been holding back a bit.

"That's a team I'm going to face during the season," Peralta told Milwaukee's website after the outing, "so I don't want to show them too much. I just wanted to locate my fastball and throw a little more changeups."

Peralta is 2-2 during the regular season versus the Rockies with a 6.46 ERA in five games (4 starts).

Colorado counters with a young arm in 24-year-old Eddie Butler, who struggled last season with rotator cuff injuries. He made 20 starts in the minors and another three with the Rockies, two of those coming in late September.

Butler picked up his first major league victory on Sept. 20 after limiting Arizona to one run over six innings, but was slammed for five runs over 4 2/3 innings at the Los Angeles Dodgers seven days later in a no-decision.

The right-handed Butler is ranked Colorado's second-best prospect by MLB.com and did have some shoulder fatigue this spring, but is set for his fourth career start.

Colorado has totaled plenty of offense in taking the first two games of this series, winning Monday's opener 10-0 before posting a 5-2 triumph the following night.

Nick Hundley went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the victory, while Troy Tulowitzki and Nolan Arenado had a pair of hits and an RBI each.

The Rockies had six doubles in Tuesday's win, giving them 12 over the first two contests to tie a major league record. They matched the mark set by the 1912 New York Giants.

"We're hitting them all over the field," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Guys are putting together a lot of good at-bats one after the other."

Jordan Lyles gave up two runs on five hits in six solid innings for Colorado to get the win, while Matt Garza was handed the loss for allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings for the Brewers.

"I really expected us to come in and swing well," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. "It surprises me that we're not."

Right fielder Ryan Braun was not in Milwaukee's lineup because of a strained rib cage muscle that forced him to exit Monday's loss. Though it is unknown when he will return, Braun is not expected to need a stint on the disabled list.

The Brewers won six of their seven matchups with the Rockies last season, but Colorado is looking to secure its first three-game sweep in Milwaukee since June 9-11, 2009.