The Boston Red Sox will have to pitch better if they expect to beat the visiting Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon in the second contest of their three-game series.
Specifically, the Red Sox will have to pitch better to a significant part of Milwaukee’s batting order.
William Contreras, Christian Yelich and Willy Adames — Milwaukee’s Nos. 2-4 hitters — had seven hits, five RBIs and four runs during the team’s 7-2 triumph on Friday night. Contreras was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.
“He’s a top-five player in baseball right now,” said Brewers right-hander Bryse Wilson, who pitched 5 1/3 innings behind opener Jared Koenig on Friday. “I don’t think there’s any question about that.”
Yelich was 3-for-4 and drove in a run, and Adames had two hits and two RBIs.
“Everyone has to respect William, but he has (Yelich) hitting behind him,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “When he’s hitting, that’s helping everyone. There was some good, hard contact tonight, and we stayed relentless by getting on base.”
Most of the damage was done against Boston starting pitcher Kutter Crawford, who saw his ERA rise from 2.17 to 2.89 after he allowed six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.
“He had a tough time putting people away,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “They extended at-bats and credit to them. They’re a good ballclub.”
Contreras gave the Brewers a 3-0 lead when he hit a 397-foot home run to highlight a three-run third inning. Milwaukee extended its advantage to 6-1 with a three-run fifth inning that included an RBI double by Yelich and a two-run double from Adames that knocked Crawford out of the game.
“It was a good game for us,” Contreras said through an interpreter. “Guys like Yelich, Adames, myself — we were able to put it together.”
Saturday’s matchup will be the eighth contest in a nine-game road trip for the Brewers, who have lost four of the first seven outings. Milwaukee enters the contest with a 17-12 road record this season. Boston is 10-14 at home.
Boston outfielder Jarren Duran, who had a double and two singles in Friday’s loss, carries a nine-game hitting streak into Saturday’s contest. Ten of his 14 hits during that span have gone for extra bases (six doubles, two triples and two home runs).
David Hamilton also hit safely three times in the loss. It was the first three-hit game of his major league career. Hamilton is 10-for-31 (.323) this month.
The Red Sox acquired Hamilton in a trade with Milwaukee that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers.
Boston is scheduled to send right-hander Nick Pivetta (2-2, 3.04 ERA) to the mound Saturday. He’s 1-2 with a 9.19 ERA in three career appearances (all starts) against the Brewers. Pivetta has allowed 16 runs, including five home runs, on 23 hits in 15 2/3 innings against them.
Right-hander Colin Rea (3-2, 4.07 ERA) is Milwaukee’s probable starter. He has never faced Boston.
–Field Level Media
