Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
5 takeaways as Red Sox pull away from Brewers, 5-0, to earn first series win
They have a long way to go but are starting to resemble the team many believed they could be.
COMMENTARY
With a productive offseason behind them, and much of their proven core back, the Red Sox appeared poised to build off last year’s breakthrough and keep momentum on their side.
Instead, the season started inauspiciously, as they sputtered to a 2-8 record and unexpectedly struggled in nearly every area. The newly acquired pitchers were inconsistent. The lineup couldn’t find timely hits. The fielders made untimely errors. The relievers couldn’t take care of business.
“Sell the team!” chants echoed throughout Fenway Park, as the buzz disappeared and the Red Sox gave fans little reason to believe.
Since that point, they’ve responded to offer those fans a glimmer of hope. They’re still 4-8, in last place in the American League East, and nowhere near where they need to be. But, they’re starting to resemble a team capable of making some noise.
Advertisement:
Wednesday’s 5-0 victory over the Brewers gave Boston its first series win of the season. After losing six games by two runs or fewer start the season, the Red Sox have now found somewhat of a rhythm.
“It was a great game last night,” Sonny Gray, Wednesday’s starter, said. “To continue that into today, it was just a good finish to the home stand.”
Here are five takeaways:
Sonny with no chance of meatballs
Gray had a tough debut with the Red Sox, allowing three earned runs in four innings against the Reds in late March.
Since that point, he’s made major strides and looked like the pitcher the Red Sox hoped he would be. Gray surrendered two runs in six innings against the Padres on Friday, then tossed 6 1/3 scoreless frames Wednesday to put Boston in prime position.
Advertisement:
“He competes, he prepares, he knows what he’s doing out there,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters.
He mixed in his curveball and sweeper masterfully, giving up just three hits and needing only 90 pitches to lower his ERA to 2.76. Gray only struck out two, but that was all he needed to do. The Brewers put runners on second and third in the third before Gray escaped.
He grew stronger with a 10-pitch fourth and 11-pitch fifth and didn’t let the Brewers sniff a potential comeback from there. Gray exited to a well-deserved standing ovation and tipped his cap to the Fenway faithful.
“I was just thinking, ‘Happy flight, happy flight,'” Gray said. “You want to win on get-away day.”
His emergence in recent weeks has stabilized the Red Sox, and he appears to be capable of providing a 1-2 punch alongside ace Garrett Crochet. The Red Sox are built to win games with their pitching and defense, and this was another step in the right direction.
“For this team to make it to October, we have to pitch, and we will,” Cora told reporters.
Showin’ Drohan who’s boss
Brewers starter Shane Drohan worked his way through the Red Sox farm system and starred for the Worcester Red Sox, but he never got the chance to pitch at Fenway Park.
Advertisement:
Drohan, sent to Milwaukee as part of the Caleb Durbin trade, made his Major League debut Wednesday. He didn’t allow a hit in the first two innings, struck out two Boston hitters in the second, and looked ready to go deep into the game with his family on hand.
In the third, though, the Red Sox played small ball and ended his afternoon much earlier than he would have liked. Ceddanne Rafaela singled to left, Isiah Kiner-Falefa delivered a beautiful bunt, and Roman Anthony moved them to second and third on a grounder.
Andruw Monasterio walked, Willson Contreras walked to score Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu plated Kiner-Falefa on a sharp grounder to second, then Trevor Story drove in Monasterio on a sacrifice fly.
That was all it took, as the Red Sox capitalized on their opportunity and seized momentum.
Walk this way
Boston took a patient approach against Drohan and the Brewers’ relievers, walking a total of eight times and making Milwaukee throw 146 pitches spread over four pitchers.
Monasterio walked three times, Anthony twice, and Contreras, Durbin, and Rafaela once apiece. When facing a young and inexperienced starter, it’s wise to make that pitcher earn everything he gets, and Boston did exactly that.
The Red Sox — who entered the day 24th in the majors with 36 walks — didn’t try to force anything, and the mindset paid dividends. It was their most walks since they racked up nine against the Yankees in August of last year.
Advertisement:
“We talked about it last week,” Cora said. “We were swinging too much, chasing a lot. The last few games, we’ve walked and gotten rallies going. We stay humble.”
New chapter for Story
It may take some time for Story’s average to ascend to where he wants it to be, but, over the past three games, he’s looked more like himself and the well-rounded player he was last year.
Story, who plated Contreras with a sharp single in the seventh, now has two RBIs in three consecutive games (matching a career high) and a hit in four straight. He was the Red Sox’ designated hitter Wednesday, with Monsaterio getting the start at shortstop, and the plan paid off.
Durbin then drove in Abreu on a grounder to second to make it 5-0 Red Sox, which was more than enough.
Tyler’s time
Tyler Samaniego made his major league debut and struck out the side in a scoreless eighth for Boston.
He joins Fred Wenz in 1968 as the only Red Sox relievers ever to allow zero runs in their debut and record three strikeouts in their first inning of work.
“It was awesome, man,” Samaniego told reporters. “It was everything you ever dream of.”
Cora offered high praise for Boston’s newest pitcher.
“Really good,” Cora said. “Threw strikes, good stuff. Like I said before the game, in that trade, he was a guy that was very intriguing. We got him, and he’s going to contribute.”
Samaniego, called up earlier in the day, honored his father, Rick, who died in 2022, with the lettering “RIP POPS” inscribed on his glove.
When asked how his father would react to his call-up, Samaniego smiled.
Advertisement:
“I probably can’t say it on a microphone, but he’d be fired up,” he said, per NESN’s Jahmai Webster. “That’s for sure. He’d be ready to come out here behind the dugout and drink a beer.”
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address