Rockies look to improve execution after opener

MILWAUKEE -- The Rockies hit three home runs and enjoyed winning-type pitching from right-handed starter Jhoulys Chacin, but their poor execution in several areas lead to the 5-4, 10-inning loss to the Brewers.

Obvious places to look were to pitchers Wilton Lopez, who entered the eighth with a two-run lead and left with a one-run deficit, and Adam Ottavino, who ended up losing the game in the 10th after Dexter Fowler tied the game with a homer in the ninth.

However, the Rockies' offense will have to execute better on the road, where the team is not as likely to display power as at hitter-friendly Coors Field. The Rockies put five runners on base in the first and second innings but couldn't come up with a two-out hit. In the fourth, Wilin Rosario and Chris Nelson singled, but Chacin struck out when he couldn't execute a bunt. Fowler followed with a single to right, but Rosario misread it and couldn't score, and Nelson ran into an out when he didn't notice that Rosario was held up at third.

A traditionally poor-hitting road team, the Rockies had 12 hits to work with but scored only on the homers.

Manager Walt Weiss said Nelson's was a mistake of aggression, and the team can't be tentative. But the team has to execute crisply.

"We minimized an inning or two for them," Weiss said.