Red Sox Wrap: Bats Struggle To Produce Clutch Hits In Loss Vs. Brewers

It was another long night for the Boston Red Sox’s bullpen in Milwaukee.

Red Sox starter Kyle Kendrick lasted only 4 1/3 innings and gave up six runs in a 7-4 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park on Wednesday night.

Four different Brewers drove in runs, and the Red Sox were unable to come up with a clutch hit as they stranded nine runners.

The Red Sox fell to 17-16 with the loss, while the Brewers improved to 18-16 with the win.

Here’s how it all went down.

GAME IN A WORD
Opportunity.

The Red Sox had their chances Wednesday night (11 hits) but left nine men on base and went 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

IT WAS OVER WHEN…
The Brewers scored four runs in the fifth inning to break the tie and chase Kendrick from the game.

Eric Thames drove in the first run of the inning with an RBI double and scored on a fielder’s choice. The Brewers scored two more runs thanks to a throwing error from Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez and an RBI single by Hernan Perez.

ON THE BUMP
— Kendrick made his second start of the year for the Red Sox and was unable to give Boston the long outing that it required. One day after Drew Pomeranz lasted only four innings, Kendrick was chased after 4 1/3 innings. He surrendered six runs on 10 hits and recorded only two strikeouts.

Kendrick retired the first two batters he faced in the first inning, but then the Brewers put together a rally. Ryan Braun drew a two-out walk, and Travis Shaw followed with an infield single to set up Domingo Santana. Santana laced an RBI single to center to plate Braun, and Perez drove in Shaw with a single to left to give the Brewers a two-run lead.

The Brewers broke the tie in the fifth inning when Keon Broxton led off the inning with a double, and Thames plated him with a double down the left-field line. Thames scored two batters later on a fielder’s choice by Shaw.

— Heath Hembree relieved Kendrick with runners on first and second and one out in the fifth inning. The Brewers immediately attempted a double steal, and Vazquez airmailed the throw into left field, allowing another Brewers run to score. Perez then knocked in his second run of the game with an RBI single, extending Milwaukee’s lead to four. Hembree gave up a run on two hits in an inning of work.

— Fernando Abad took the ball from Hembree with one out in the sixth inning. The Brewers extended their lead to five when Vazquez tried to pick off Broxton at third base. The throw got past Deven Marrero, allowing the runner to scoot home.

— Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

— Robby Scott pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— Jackie Bradley Jr. made a loud return to the Red Sox’s lineup during the second inning when he launched an opposite-field home run to left field to cut the Brewers’ lead to one.

— The Red Sox tied the game during the fourth inning. Vazquez laced a double down the left-field line, and Mookie Betts chased him home with an RBI single to left. It was Betts’ sixth RBI in the past three games.

— The Red Sox loaded the bases in the eighth inning with three straight singles from Mitch Moreland, Chris Young and Bradley Jr. Moreland scored when Vazquez bounced into a double play, but the Red Sox couldn’t cut into the lead any further.

— The Red Sox scored their final run in the ninth inning when Xander Bogaerts drove in Betts with an RBI groundout.

TWEET OF THE DAY
The Red Sox star is red-hot.

UP NEXT
The Red Sox will conclude their three-game series with the Brewers on Thursday afternoon. Eduardo Rodriguez will take the mound for Boston and will be opposed by Jimmy Nelson for the Brewers. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET.

Thumbnail photo via Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports Images