MILWAUKEE _ Opening Day got off to an ominous start for the Milwaukee Brewers, who faced nothing but bad news for the first four innings.
Starting pitcher Junior Guerra exited in the third inning with a leg injury. Before the fourth was done, the Brewers were down by four runs. By then, Colorado starter Jon Gray already had logged seven strikeouts.
The Brewers overcame those early mulligans with a five-run rally in the fifth inning but still let the game slip away Monday afternoon, falling to the Rockies, 7-5, at Miller Park.
Guerra, who broke through as a 31-year-old rookie last season, had looked forward to the first Opening Day start of his well-traveled career. But, with the Brewers trailing, 2-0, in the bottom of the third inning, Guerra suffered a right calf strain running to first base on a sacrifice bunt.
Manager Craig Counsell talked at the end of camp about the Opening Day roster being temporary but he didn't have something like this in mind. If Guerra is unable to make his next start, he likely will go on the disabled list and force a change in the rotation.
After doubles by Jonathan Villar, Eric Thames and Travis Shaw sparked the five-run rally in the fifth to take the lead, they let the game slip away via poor execution. Villar muffed an easy double play by bobbling the ball at second base in the seventh, opening the door for Colorado to take the lead with two runs.
The second run of that inning scored when Villar didn't cover second base on a steal and catcher Jett Bandy threw down anyway, resulting in an error.
The Rockies tried to give the game back to the Brewers in the eighth when reliever Adam Ottavino walked Domingo Santana and Keon Broxton, who then pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third with no outs. But Bandy, Orlando Arcia and pinch-hitter Hernan Perez struck out, the last two on pitches far out of the strike zone.
