MILWAUKEE _ It was only the third game of the season but the Milwaukee Brewers already were in need of a strong outing by their starting pitcher.
Wily Peralta delivered Wednesday night and the Brewers cruised to their first victory of the season, 6-1, over the Colorado Rockies at Miller Park.
After two high-scoring games to open the series, this was a different kind of game. Peralta came out firing his fastball at 98 mph, and Colorado righty Tyler Chatwood had the home team beating the ball into the ground.
Peralta exited when his pitch count rose to 90 after five innings. But he kept the high-powered Rockies' offense off the board, allowing only three hits and a walk while logging five strikeouts.
The Brewers had the first chance to score when Orlando Arcia legged out a triple with one down in the third. He tried to come home on Peralta's liner to right, but Carlos Gonzalez's throw forced Arcia to slide wide and try a swipe tag. He missed the plate and catcher Tony Wolters was able to go over and tag him.
The Brewers changed the look of their lineup in a big way over the winter by signing first baseman Eric Thames and trading with Boston for third baseman Travis Shaw. By adding two left-handed hitters, it not only balanced a predominantly right-handed lineup, it allowed manager Craig Counsell to create a "protection sandwich" with Ryan Braun in the middle.
Thames and Shaw made their presence known in a big way in the bottom of the fourth. Thames led off with a booming homer to right, getting all of a 1-0 fastball from Chatwood. After Braun legged out an infield hit, Shaw also got into a 1-0 fastball and knocked it out to right as well.
Just like that, it was 3-0 and the home crowd had something to cheer about. Then, after two shaky games in the field, the defense finally gave them reason to get loud again after reliever Carlos Torres walked the first two hitters in the sixth.
Thames made a diving stab to his right of Gonzalez's sharp grounder to get an out at second, leaving runners on the corners. Second baseman Jonathan Villar and Arcia then turned a slick double play on a grounder by Nolan Arenado to get Torres out of the jam and keep the Brewers in control.
