MILWAUKEE - Ron Roenicke knows what his Brewers pitching staff needs to do.
Getting it done might be easier said than done.
Juan Nicasio pitched six effective innings for his first victory in almost a year while Wilin Rosario, Michael Cuddyer and Dexter Fowler homered to lift the Colorado Rockies over the Brewers 7-3 on Wednesday night.
"We need to pitch better," Roenicke said after the Rockies scored 12 of their 19 runs scored in the three-game series off eight home runs. "We need to pitch better as starters and as relievers. We got get ahead of people. I know it's early, but we still need to pitch better."
Wily Peralta (0-1) gave up four runs, including Rosario's two-run homer, went 5 1/3 innings, allowed six hits, walked three and struck out four.
He made the opening-day roster after a decent spring and the promise of what he'd done during two stints last season. As a September callup, he went 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA in six appearances, including five starts.
"He's got great stuff, but he's got to learn to get it over the plate," Roenicke said. "At times, his sinker was great 鈥� 95 (mph), 96, down in the zone, but consistently, he couldn't repeat pitches. His slider was basically not there."
Closer John Axford struggled, allowing Cuddyer to hit a two-run homer and Fowler a solo homer in the ninth.
"It shouldn't be," he said. "I don't think I've ever made it one. You want to go out there with the same intensity, the same enthusiasm no matter what the situation is. It's a one-run ballgame right there. If I put up a zero, we have a real good opportunity to win that game in the ninth, especially with our offence."
The Rockies took two of three under Walt Weiss, their new manager, in the season-opening series at Miller Park.
"Get good starting pitching and it tends to fall into place for you," Weiss said. "We were able to do something. If we can get starting pitching like that consistently, we're going to be in real good shape - particularly with our offence."
Nicasio (1-0) did his part using his fastball.
He allowed two runs and seven hits for his first win since last April 30, when he beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. Winless in the next five starts, he sustained a season-ending knee injury on June 2.
"I threw my fastball inside, away, and nobody can hit my fastball," Nicasio said. "The hitter needs to show me he can hit my fastball inside. If he does, OK, I'm going to throw my breaking ball. But if nobody can hit it, I'm going to throw it."
Weiss said that Nicasio had it all working against the Brewers.
"He's firing strikes. He's got a great arm," Weiss said. "When he's in good counts, he's going to be tough to get to.
Rickie Weeks hit a solo home run and Alex Gonzalez added an RBI single off Nicasio. Ryan Braun drove in a run off Chris Volstad, but that was it. Rex Brother and Rafael Betancourt kept the Brewers scoreless the rest of the way.
Rosario picked up right where 2012 ended for him when he hit a two-run homer in the second. The young catcher led all NL rookies with 28 home runs and 71 RBIs last season, which were also franchise rookie records.
Rosario's nice defensive play saved Nicasio from further trouble in the third.
After Weeks hit his first homer of the season, Braun singled, took third on Aramis Ramirez's double and scored on Alex Gonzalez's line-drive single. Ramirez rounded third as left fielder Carlos Gonzalez charged the ball, picked it cleanly and fired a strike to Rosario, who took the offline throw, dived at Ramirez as he slid home and tagged him.
The last two seasons have been tough on Nicasio. On Aug. 5, 2011, he was hit in the head by a line drive and needed season-ending surgery to repair vertebrae in his neck. In 2012, he made his first appearance on the opening day roster and was 2-3 with a 5.28 ERA before getting hurt.
"This is a great win for him," Weiss said. "I'm proud of him. All the stuff he's been through, this has to be a great feeling for him."
Roenicke said that the team was battling, but it just wasn't enough.
"We scratch out some runs, then turn around and give them up in a hurry," he said. "That's hard to keep up the pressure on the other guys when they keep coming back and scoring runs."
Volstad took over for Nicasio and allowed a two-out double to Weeks, who scored on Braun's double in the seventh.
Cuddyer came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and stayed in the game in right.
In the sixth, centre fielder Carlos Gomez robbed Gonzalez of homering in his third straight game. Gomez tracked the ball to the outfield padding and then jumped, snagging the ball well above the top of the wall.
Brewers first baseman Gonzalez left the game in a double switch in the sixth. Yuniesky Betancourt made his first career appearance at first and Alfredo Figaro replaced Peralta.
Notes: LHP Jeff Francis starts against San Diego in the Rockies' home opener on Friday. Colorado's last home-opener win came April 9, 2009, against the Padres. ... RHP Kyle Lohse makes his Milwaukee debut when the Brewers face the Diamondbacks on Friday. He went 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA against Arizona last season. ... Weiss gave Todd Helton and Michael Cuddyer the day off and started Eric Young Jr. in right and Jordan Pacheco at first. Weiss said the move was simply to get them some playing time. ... The Rockies will work out Thursday afternoon at Coors Field. The public gets in free with the donation of a canned food item. Otherwise, it's $1.
