William Contreras smashed a two-run homer, Christian Yelich had three hits, and Bryse Wilson pitched 5 1/3 innings of solid ball as the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Boston Red Sox 7-2 on Friday night.
Blake Perkins contributed with two hits and two stolen bases for the Brewers, who currently lead the NL Central division. Wilson entered the game in the first inning with two outs and impressed with seven strikeouts, matching his career best. Willy Adames and Yelich also drove in runs for Milwaukee, who continued their road trip with their seventh game out of nine.
Boston threatened with runners on base in the first inning when Wilson was called to pitch. However, he managed to strike out Tyler O’Neill to end the inning and remained largely unchallenged throughout his time on the mound.
Wilson commented on his performance, saying, “There’s still room for improvement. I think I did well from start to finish.”
Jarren Duran and David Hamilton each had three hits for Boston, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. Dominic Smith hit a home run, his second since joining the Red Sox on May 1.
Contreras capitalized on a 1-0 pitch from Red Sox starter Kutter Crawford, hitting his eighth homer of the season into the Green Monster seats in the third inning. This two-run shot followed Brice Turang’s sacrifice fly, which scored the game’s first run.
The power of Contreras’ home run was evident as it knocked over a fan’s popcorn bucket after bouncing off the area behind where the fan was seated.
Milwaukee continued to pile on the runs, with Yelich doubling in a run in the fifth inning and Adames hitting a two-run double, leading to Crawford’s exit from the game in the fifth inning.
Crawford’s ERA increased from 2.17 to 2.89 after allowing six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged the Brewers’ strong performance, noting their ability to extend at-bats and their relentless approach at the plate.