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Brewers' pitching downs Rockies

Jul 18, 2011 - 1:16 AM Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Shaun Marcum was strong through five-plus innings and the Milwaukee bullpen proved essential, as the Brewers outlasted the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, in the finale of a four-game series.

Marcum (8-3) allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four before leaving the game in the sixth with a neck strain.

Following Marcum's departure, LaTroy Hawkins, Takashi Saito and Francisco Rodriguez each worked a scoreless frame.

John Axford allowed an unearned run in the ninth but struck out Troy Tulowitzki with two aboard to earn his 25th save of the season.

Casey McGehee knocked in two runs for the Brewers.

Aaron Cook (0-5) remained winless on the season after allowing three runs on eight hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.

Jason Giambi went 2-for-3 with a homer and a double.

"We're in every game," said Giambi. "I mean we're not getting blown out, just unfortunately, we're not getting that big hit or that big pitch to give us the win or at least tie the game."

Rickie Weeks, who vaulted the Brewers to victory on Saturday with a two-run ninth-inning homer, began the second with a double, advanced to third on George Kottaras' groundout and scored on McGehee's sac fly..

Marcum hurt himself -- figuratively -- in the fifth, walking Dexter Fowler and Giambi to start the inning. After a Tulowitzki fly out to the track in left, Seth Smith ripped a line drive towards second. Weeks dove to his right, but the ball deflected off the tip of his glove, allowing Fowler to cross the plate with the tying run.

The Brewers responded the next half inning, placing runners on first and second with one down behind a Prince Fielder walk and a Weeks single.

Kottaras then doubled off the wall in left to score Fielder, but Weeks was caught in a rundown attempting to score and was eventually tug out.

During the confusion, Kottaras advanced to third and crossed the plate on McGehee's subsequent single.

Corey Hart began the sixth with a single, advanced to second on Nyjer Morgan's sac bunt and scored on Mark Kotsay's base hit, giving the Brewers a 4-1 lead.

Giambi led off the home half with an emphatic blast to right, cutting the Rockies' deficit to two.

Marcum then fell behind Tulowitzki 2-0 before manager Ron Roenicke and a trainer visited the mound. After a brief pow-wow, Marcum walked off under his own power.

Hawkins entered and walked Tulowitzki, then forced Seth Smith into a force out and Ryan Spilborghs into a fly out before Eliezer Alfonzo singled to place runners on the corners.

Jonathan Herrera then ground out to second as Hawkins escaped unscathed.

After Saito pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, the Rockies again placed runners on the corners in the eighth, but Rodriguez struck out Alfonzo to end the threat.

Herrera reached on an error by Josh Wilson to begin the ninth and came around to score on Ty Wigginton's double.

Wigginton was stranded, however, as Carlos Gonzalez ground out and Axford sandwiched a pair of strikeouts around a Giambi walk.

"I was just trying to make pitches," said Axford. "Whether it's a strikeout or getting a ground ball like I did there, I'm just trying to go after the next guy, mix it up, make them off balance. I think that was the biggest thing, I didn't want to put anything in there to let them bloop it over or pop something into the outfield."

Game Notes

Colorado is now 14-17 in one-run games...The Rockies are winless at Coors Field this season on Sundays...Axford has converted each of his last 22 save opportunities...The Rockies stranded 10 and were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.