Red Sox 7 – Brewers 11: Mookie Betts shines despite ugly loss
After taking two-of-three from the Minnesota Twins, the Red Sox continued their six-game road trip with their first of three against the Milwaukee Brewers. What looked like a promising start to the game quickly evaporated into a 5-1 deficit after just one inning.
The Red Sox made a few attempts at a comeback, including a three-run fifth that bridge the Brewers’ lead to just two runs, but wouldn’t come any closer than that. Three runs from the Brewers in the sixth and two more in the seventh were enough to do it as the Red Sox eventually fell 11-7. Former Red Sox first/third baseman Travis Shaw
Former Red Sox first/third baseman Travis Shaw went 1-for-3 with an RBI in his first career game against his past club.
Despite the ugly loss, there were some positives to take away from this one. We’ll get through the rough stuff before delivering the good news.
Home runs get to Drew Pomeranz again
Bad news first.
For the third time in six starts, the Red Sox pitcher was tagged for multiple home runs pushing his season HR/9 rate to 2.03. From the get go, Pomeranz just didn’t look sharp in this one. In a five-run first inning, he threw just 14 of 26 pitches for strikes and was shelled for four hits – two of which left the yard.
In four total innings, Pomeranz allowed six earned runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts. The performance pushed his once respectable 4.00 ERA to 5.23 on the season. I made the case earlier in the season that Pomeranz’s numbers were due for improvement based on an inflated HR/FB rate and a low xFIP but he’s quickly proved me wrong.
The most concerning aspect of Pomeranz’s start was his decreased velocity. According to Baseball Savant and Statcast, Pomeranz gave up three barrelled balls in the first inning. Two were home runs, by Eric Thames and Keon Broxton, the other was a double off the wall by Ryan Braun.
The two home runs came on fastballs that measured at 89.8 mph and 89.7 mph respectively. On the season, he’s averaged 92.32 mph with a max of 95.1. In this game, he averaged 90.3 mph with a max of 91.5. We can’t diagnose why his velocity is so far down but this is a serious issue that the club will need to monitor over the next five days.
If everything remains constant, Pomeranz will make his next start at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 14.
Mookie Betts has himself a game
The best position player on the Red Sox (sorry Beni, not yet) hasn’t had the best season so far but had his second four-hit game of the season. Sunday’s game felt like his breakout performance, and with three hits in six at-bats including a double and homer, Mookie was truly locked in. That focus carried over to tonight’s game as he went 4-for-4 and reached in all five plate appearances.
He started the game with a leadoff homer – his first to start a game all season – that was measured at 433 feet and left the bat at 109 mph. He then went single – RBI double – walk – RBI double to wrap up his performance. Overall, he’d drive in four runs and finish a triple shy of the cycle.
A lot has been made of Mookie’s slow start to the season and his inability to hit expectations but I disagree with that assessment. His average is up to .304, higher than his career .302 mark. His .375 OBP is higher than his career .354 mark. His four steals in 28 games has him on a healthy pace with enough room to match his 150-game average of 24 over the last two seasons. He’s also developed into one of the toughest players in baseball to strikeout, with the second lowest strikeout rate (7.3%) among qualified batters.
After a borderline unrepeatable season, expectations are probably too high. There’s nothing wrong with Mookie and he’s proving it.
Xander Bogaerts extends his hitting streak to 12 games
With a seventh-inning double, Xander extended his hitting streak to 12 games. He would end the game 1-for-4 without a run and is now batting .336/.388/.421 with a 125 wRC+ on the season. While his average and on-base percentage represent career highs at this stage in the season, he’s been suffering a notoriously severe power drought that looks to be coming to an end.
In 116 plate appearances, he hasn’t hit a home run and has just seven extra base hits. His isolated power rating of .084 on the season is significantly lower than his career rating of .137.
The power numbers still have a long way to go, but Xander is beginning to hit for extra bases again. The double gives him four in his last three games (3 doubles and a triple). Make of this what you will, but his recent increase in power has come in all three games of manager John Farrell‘s new lineup. Since moving into the three-hole, Xander’s gone 6-for-15.
Other Notes
- Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Since moving to the cleanup spot, he’s 8-for-14 with 6 RBIs.
- The bullpen combined for five earned runs in four innings pitched in their worst game of the season.
- After riding recent spells of momentum to earn spots in the lineup, Chris Young and Sandy Leon combined to go 0-for-9 with seven runners left on base following the off-day.
Next: Red Sox are in position to compete in the AL East
The Red Sox send Kyle Kendrick to the mound for his second start of the season as they try to salvage the possibility of a series win. He allowed six earned runs in four innings pitched in his first start of the year. He has a lifetime 3.35 ERA at Miller Park with a 3-2 record.