Kendrick tosses seven shutout innings in Rockies debut

MILWAUKEE » Kyle Kendrick got off to a fine start with the Colorado Rockies, punctuating his pitching with two hits.

For the Milwaukee Brewers, the loss hurt even more when Ryan Braun was injured.

Kendrick threw seven sharp innings and also helped with his bat Monday as the Rockies trounced Milwaukee 10-0 on opening day.

“I wanted to build off what I did in Philly, just make my starts and give my team a chance to win,” Kendrick said. “You don’t think about the results.”

Rockies manager Walt Weiss did.

“He’s a smart pitcher,” Weiss said. “He can execute a game plan.”

Braun, slowed by a thumb injury much of last season, exited early with an injury to his lower right side, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said.

The injury occurred in the fourth inning when Braun crashed into the right-field wall while making a catch of a drive by Justin Morneau. The former NL MVP was replaced by Gerardo Parra to start the sixth.

“He strained his lower right side,” Roenicke said. “We’ll check and see how he is tomorrow.”

The Brewers didn’t announce the injury during the game.

“I was reaching to catch a fly ball that Justin Morneauhit in the fourth inning, and felt it a little bit,” Braun said. “With these things, you always know more the next day.”

“Hopefully, tomorrow morning I wake up and feel OK. We’ll see how it feels tomorrow and go from there.”

Braun was impressed with Kendrick.

“Had a really good changeup/splitter going,” said Braun, who went 0 for 2. “He threw any pitch in any count.”

Kendrick came in 2-5 with a 4.98 ERA in seven starts against Milwaukee, including 2-2 with a 4.11 ERA in five starts at Miller Park.

Corey Dickerson and Nolan Arenado each homered and drove in four runs. Troy Tulowitzki doubled twice, singled and scored three times.

There were eight extrabase hits in the game, all by Colorado. Kendrick, Dickerson and Carlos Gonzalez contributed doubles.

Kendrick (1-0), who left Philadelphia after last season, excelled in his first opening day start. He gave up seven singles, walked none and struck out six.

After former commissioner Bud Selig lobbed in the ceremonial first ball, the Rockies teed off against Kyle Lohse (0-1).

Gonzalez, Tulowitzki and Arenado doubled in the first inning and Dickerson hit a two-run homer for a 4-0 lead.

Arenado hit a two-run shot into the bleachers off Lohse in the third. The righthander gave up eight runs on 10 hits before Gonzalez ended Lohse’s third career opening day start with an RBI single in the fourth.

Rockies relievers Rafael Betancourt and Christian Friedrich each pitched a scoreless innings.