Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez hit home runs off Jorge De La Rosa in the first inning, and the Milwaukee Brewers snapped a six-game skid with a 9-5 win over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game series.
Ramirez had three hits and Shane Peterson went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Brewers, who are last in the NL Central. Milwaukee (25-44) avoided falling more than 20 games under .500 for the first time since the end of the 2004 season (67-94).
Taylor Jungmann (2-1) allowed eight hits and four runs over six innings to get the win, while De La Rosa (4-3) was shelled for 11 hits and six runs over five frames.
The Rockies, who are in the NL West basement, have lost five in a row and nine of their last 10 games.
Ben Paulsen and Nolan Arenado each drove in two runs in defeat.
Milwaukee held a 6-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings thanks in part to early homers.
Gerardo Parra doubled with one out in the first, and Braun, who came into the game in an 0-for-14 slump, launched his 14th home run of the season, a blast to left-center. One out later, Ramirez, who entered in a 2-for-21 skid at the plate, went deep to right-center.
Hernan Perez doubled in Peterson in the second. Peterson walked with the bases full in the third, and Jonathan Lucroy's sacrifice fly plated Jean Segura in the fourth.
Arenado's triple to left-center scored two in the home fourth, and Paulsen followed with a double to right.
Paulsen's triple to left-center plated Arenado in the sixth for a 6-4 contest, but Jungmann retired the next two batters.
The Brewers tacked on three runs in the seventh. Jason Rogers tripled in Ramirez, and then scored on Peterson's single. Segura's slow roller to third scored Peterson.
Charlie Blackmon tripled off Jonathan Broxton to score Brandon Barnes with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
[SportsNetwork.com]
