Colon rocked early as Mets lose 5th straight, 7-0 to Brewers

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Mets have been losing players to injury all season. Now they're consistently losing games, too.

Bartolo Colon was rocked early by Ryan Braun and the Milwaukee Brewers in his poorest outing of the year, and the NL East leaders were routed 7-0 Friday night for their season-worst fifth straight defeat.

"It gets you kind of startled when you've got one of your best pitchers out there and you look up and man, bang, you're behind," manager Terry Collins said. "I mean, we were behind fast! Fast and furious! When you're behind 5-0 and I don't think he'd thrown 30 pitches and it's 5-0, that gets your attention."

Back home after getting swept by the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, the slumping Mets matched a season low with three hits and were held to three runs or fewer for the 13th time in 17 games.

Braun homered twice and made a magnificent catch, leading Kyle Lohse and the Brewers to an easy victory.

"I was throwing a lot of strikes up in the zone, and they were swinging early and making solid contact," Colon said through a translator. "I think the only bad pitch was (to) Ryan Braun. It was a slider up in the zone and he was able to connect."

The banged-up Mets also announced in the late innings that second baseman Dilson Herrera fractured the tip of his middle finger on his throwing hand while taking pregame grounders. He will go on the disabled list, and third baseman Eric Campbell will be recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.

Daniel Murphy will move from third base, where he was filling in for injured captain David Wright, back to second.

"We shook our heads," Collins said. "When they came to us and told us during the game that it was broken, I just said, `Of course it is.' The way things have gone for us, we certainly couldn't have had just a fingernail issue. We've got to break his finger."

Lohse allowed two harmless hits in eight crisp innings. Gerardo Parra also homered and hit an RBI double for the last-place Brewers, who battered Colon (6-2) to win their first road game under new manager Craig Counsell.

They did it in a ballpark where they're accustomed to success - Milwaukee has won 13 of its past 16 at Citi Field, where the Brewers are 14-6 overall for the best winning percentage (.700) of any National League team.

Lohse (3-4) struck out a season-high eight, walked one and used the large dimensions in center field to his advantage after entering with an uncharacteristic 7.03 ERA. Michael Blazek completed a shutout that took only 2 hours, 18 minutes.

Pitching nine days before his 42nd birthday, Colon was trying to become the first seven-game winner in the majors. Instead, he was tagged for six runs - five earned - and seven hits over five innings.

About the only positive for Colon was that he extended his streak without a walk to 45 1-3 innings.

"When he misses in on the plate like he did tonight, he's going to get hit," Collins said.

Braun made an astonishing grab to end the second, diving full out at the edge of the warning track in right-center after a long run to rob Wilmer Flores of an extra-base hit.

SHAKY DEFENSE

Flores made his ninth error at shortstop in the third inning, beginning a four-run rally for Milwaukee. ... Mets RF Curtis Granderson misplayed Parra's run-scoring double that sailed over his head.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: 3B Aramis Ramirez had three hits, including a go-ahead double, after missing six games with a stiff lower back.

Mets: Gold Glove CF Juan Lagares returned to the lineup after sitting out three games with a strain on the right side of his chest. ... Wright (back, hamstring) and C Travis d'Arnaud (broken right pinkie) are not expected back in the next four to five days, general manager Sandy Alderson said. Alderson hopes Wright will be cleared to resume baseball activities and d'Arnaud to start hitting on Monday. ... Mets relievers Bobby Parnell (Tommy John surgery) and Vic Black (shoulder) will likely pitch in rehab games this weekend for Class A St. Lucie, Alderson said. ... RHP Dillon Gee (groin) is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday but probably won't be ready by then, Alderson said. ... Rookie C Kevin Plawecki had dizzy spells and was examined by doctors for a sinus infection, Collins said. Johnny Monell went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in his first major league start.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Matt Garza, coming off a strong outing against the Cubs, gets the ball Saturday night. Garza (2-4) has a 1.64 ERA in three starts against the Mets.

Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom (3-4) has lost three of his last four starts, but the NL Rookie of the Year is 8-1 with a 1.30 ERA in his last 10 at Citi Field.

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