Rockies, dominated by Brewers' Colin Rea, shut out at Coors Field

DENVER — The Rockies’ offense remains a Rubik’s Cube. Just when the Rockies start to figure it out, things don’t line up.

Case in point: their 3-0 loss to the Brewers Wednesday night at Coors Field in front of an announced crowd of 34,177.

Veteran Milwaukee right-hander Colin Rea confounded Colorado for seven innings, allowing six hits and never giving up back-to-back hits. He struck out four and walked none. Colorado’s only extra-base hit off Rae was a one-out double by catcher Elias Diaz in the fourth.

The Rockies were shut out for the ninth time, the third time at home.

Colorado’s best chance for a rally came in the eighth against right-hander Jakob Junis. Charlie Blackmon reached on a two-out walk and Brendan Rodgers dumped a single into shallow right. Up stepped Ryan McMahon, who ripped a 0-1 change-up to the left field only to see Christian Yelich track it down for the final out.

Center fielder Brenton Doyle (2 for 4) blasted a one-out double into the right-center gap off Junis in the ninth, but Doyle was stranded. Junis struck out Michael Toglia looking and closed out the game by fanning Nolan Jones on a 3-2 breaking ball.

Colorado starter Dakota Hudson did a decent job playing traffic cop and avoided any blowout innings, but with Colorado’s offense stuck in neutral, he departed with a 3-0 deficit.

Yelich, who was voted in as an All-Star Game starter earlier in the day, lined a 446-foot homer off the second-deck facade in right field to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the first.

The Brewers made it 2-0 in the second, combining a two-out walk by Sal Frelick, who advanced to second on Hudson’s wild pitch, with Jake Bauers’ single to right.

Hudson escaped a major jam in the third by striking out Willy Adames and inducing Garrett Mitchell to ground out to second.

The fifth was messy — for both teams.

Milwaukee loaded the bases on singles by Brice Turang and William Contreras and a walk by Yelich. Hudson struck out Adames for the third time — the second time looking — and Adames went off on home plate umpire Mark Ripperger.

Adames was ejected, and Hudson was one out from a clean getaway, but he walked Mitchell on four pitches, forcing in a run.

Hudson’s night was done: three runs allowed on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out two. He is now 2-12 with a 5.84 ERA. His 12 losses are the most in the majors and the most by a Rockies pitcher before the All-Star break in franchise history. Darryl Kile was 5-11 in 1998.

On a night when the Rockies’ taxed and beleaguered bullpen needed some support, right-hander Peter Lambert was excellent. Recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque before the game, he shut down the Brewers for 4 1/3 innings, giving up no runs on two hits. He walked none and fanned two.