If you know how yesterday’s Brewers game went, you probably figure there’s no way I could possibly get this post wrong. When I decided to purchase my ticket through StubHub, I was making an educated guess that I would be seeing The Miz, Jacob Misiorowski, even if it wasn’t a sure thing. I’ve disparaged the Rockies enough over the years, that it might seem a bit risky, but I was willing to take that risk. Editor’s note: Even when it was a sure thing that he would start Sunday, tickets were still available.

Like most baseball fans I observe various pregame rituals especially in cities like Milwaukee. On something of a lark, I stopped at the brand new Bob Uecker mural instead of grabbing a pop and a bite. I’m glad I did because it brought an immediate smile to my face and later toasted Bob with an ice cold, Lite beer from Miller.

The Brewers have honored Ueck with a statue outside of American Family Field and a figure inside the park, but the mural is something the entire city can enjoy.

Despite the obvious mismatch, I needed to see to believe. Baseball being baseball, and professional hitters can surprise everyone and upset the proverbial applecart at any time. Cutting to the chase, Miz was on top of his game from the start.

Even though I could easily read the numbers on the board, my 200-level seat didn’t afford me the ability to properly gauge just how hard he was throwing. Before the Cubs put their bullpens under the bleachers, I was able to enjoy watching pitchers warm up before they entered the game and at ground level, one could get a better feel for how hard a guy was throwing.

From the start it was obvious something special was going to happen. Misiorowski was unhittable, striking out the first 7 Rockies without so much as a whimper. The eighth batter, lined out to left before he struck out the next 5 batters. For the record, he struck out 12 of the first 13 hitters, something never done before in the live ball era.

Because of his brief history and all the hype, everyone in the ballpark was going bonkers with each strikeout. I mention this because I attended Kerry Wood’s 20 strikeout performance back in 1998 and aside from the guys posting the K’s in the bleachers, people weren’t as excited. People are anticipating greatness and expect a no-hitter.

History didn’t bode well for the Rockies despite their win in game one of the series. Colorado starter, Kyle Freeland made a mistake in the first inning that changed the course of the game and speaks to the unspoked curse of the Rockies. Jackson Chourio led off the bottom of the first with a hustle double. Brice Turang bunted down the first base line and Freeland valiantly and foolishly tried to flip the ball to first. Instead, Turang reached safely and the ball got away and Chourio scored easily. Had he just held the ball, the three run first would like never have happened.

Mis lost his no-hitter and perfecto in the 5th inning when Cole Carrigg hit a two-out homer. Unfortunately, a subsequent hit batter and force out elevated his pitch count and forced him out after only five innings. While the short outing was disappointing, he was absolutely spectacular in earning his 11th win on the season. In five innings, he allowed one hit, one earned run, with twelve strikeouts against no walks. He threw 66 pitches with an average of 102+ mph.

The rest of the story was the Brewers offense. In the 11-2 trouncing, every one of the Milwaukee starters had at least one hit, and every batter but Joey Ortiz, scored at least run, but Ortiz did triple and double. While the Brewers only added one homer to the meager total, they did have 11 extra base hits, including a franchise best 9 doubles.

Back to that Colorado curse thing.

The Rockies have historically been known for their offense, whether aided by the high altitude or great hitting. Their pitching has been equally as awful and for the same reasons.

Despite the fact that they have dabbled in free agency over the years, they haven’t gotten much bang for their buck. Two of the bigger free agent signings, Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle were abject, short-term failures despite their best intentions. In two seasons, Hampton was 21-28 with a 5.75 ERA. Neagle didn’t fare any better in his 3 seasons, he was 19-23 with a 5.57 ERA. Furthermore, the guy they chose with the first pick in the 1992 Expansion draft, David Nied, was 14-18, 5.47 ERA in parts of four seasons. He was a controversial pick even with his Atlanta Braves pedigree.

Why rehash the entire Colorado pitching curse? Kyle Freeland, a former #8 overall pick in the 2014 draft, is the career leader in innings pitched-1359.2, starts-250, homeruns allowed-201 and is only 40 strikeouts short of the lead. Is this guy doomed to pitch his entire career in Colorado? For his part, 67-100 isn’t that bad for a guy with a 4.75 ERA.

Heading into the game, it looked like a complete mismatch. Thanks to Miz’s dominance and a relentless offense, the obvious proved true.