Bullpen blowup costs Brewers the series against the Red Sox

Let's not talk about Sunday

Tough weekends have been rare for the Milwaukee Brewers during the first month of the 2023 season, but the series against the Boston Red Sox definitely qualifies as tough. Things just didn’t quite come together for the Brew Crew.

Friday the bats were quieted by the Red Sox bullpen and two out walks haunted Freddy Peralta in the 6th inning, as Boston capitalized to take a lead they’d never relinquish.

Saturday they bounced back behind strong efforts from Wade Miley, Willy Adames, and Rowdy Tellez. Devin Williams closed things down in the 9th inning to secure a tight 5-4 win.

Sunday was the bitter pill to swallow. The Brewers lost hold of a 5-4 lead when Matt Bush and Javy Guerra combined to allow nine runs in what seemed like an endless 8th inning.

It’s not the end of the world. The Brewers are still 15-7 and boast MLB’s third best record. The opportunity to bounce back comes immediately, as Milwaukee hosts the Detroit Tigers for three games Monday through Wednesday.

Master Brewer Leaderboard (through 22 games)

(The Master Brewer Leaderboard is a season-long leaderboard tracking and ranking exceptional performances from Brewers players in the form of Master Brew Points 🍺, which at the end of the season will tally up to crown our Crewsing for a Brewsing Player of the Year.)

Rowdy Tellez 🍺

Rowdy Tellez loves to terrorize the Boston Red Sox. Tellez hit two homers in the series which brings his team-leading home run total to seven. One was a low line drive and the other a towering drive into the Toyota Territory. The man is an artist.

Christian Yelich 🍺

Christian Yelich went 4-for-12 against Boston with one walk, one double, three runs scored, and three RBI. Yelich has scored the most runs in the National League (tied with Nico Hoerner and Ronald Acuna Jr.) and the second most in MLB.

Brian Anderson🍺

Brian Anderson continues to be dollar for dollar the best bargain signing of the off-season. Anderson leads the Brewers with a .897 OPS and his five homers are second best on the club.

Joey Wiemer🍺

After slumping with the bat, Joey Wiemer had a bounce back series thanks to a two hit day on Sunday. That included a double off of a breaking ball, which is a sight for sore eyes. Breaking pitches have given Wiemer problems early on in his rookie season. He also did what Joey Wiemer always does…he threw some glove.

Willy Adames 🍺

Willy Adames is showing more patience than ever this season and it’s paying off. His 14.4 percent walk rate is up from just 7.9 percent in 2022. That increased patience sees Adames with a .371 on base percentage after 97 plate appearances.

Devin Williams🍺

Williams added another save to his stat line on Saturday. In limited action Williams has still not allowed a run this season. Devin is already showing that he is one of the best closers in baseball.

Hoby Milner🍺

Hoby Milner worked every game of this series. He allowed a pair of inherited runners to score on Friday, but bounced back with scoreless outings on both Saturday and Sunday.

Peter Strzelecki🍺

It was another reliable weekend from Peter Strzelecki. He’s only allowed one earned run through his first 10 innings pitched this season. He may be next in line for the 8th inning role as The Crew look to find consistency at the back end of games.

Elvis Peguero🍺

It was a great Brewers debut for Elvis Peguero. After waiting several days to make his first appearance Peguero tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in relief of Corbin Burnes. Given some uncertainty elsewhere in the bullpen, he could be in line to earn a larger role if he maintains good performance.

Leaderboard through 22 games

Brian Anderson: 🍺x6

Garrett Mitchell, Bryse Wilson, Willy Adames, Devin Williams, Peter Strzelecki: 🍺x5

Christian Yelich, Hoby Milner: 🍺x4

Eric Lauer, Wade Miley, Brice Turang, William Contreras, Joel Payamps, Joey Wiemer, Rowdy Tellez: 🍺x3

Jesse Winker, Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Gus Varland, Javy Guerra, Corbin Burnes: 🍺x2

Mike Brosseau, Colin Rea, Victor Caratini, Luke Voit, Matt Bush, Elvis Peguero: 🍺