Make no mistake about it, this win meant something.
While the 11th game of any season will never represent a make-or-break proposition, all things considered, the Red Sox’s 3-2 victory against Milwaukee and its ace, Jacob Misiorowski, was the kind of building block Alex Cora’s club has been starved for. For one night, anyway, cheers overcome the chants.
For starters, they managed to win their third game of the season by beating one of the best pitchers in baseball, Misiorowski, who finally wore down in what would be the hosts’ decisive three-run sixth inning.
The flamethrowing righty did strike out 10, but Red Sox hitters managed four walks on the way, forcing Misiorowski from the game with one out in the sixth and the bases loaded. Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s decision to bring in lefty DL Hall to face Trevor Story after his starter’s 101st pitch ultimately backfired, with Story rifling a two-run double in the left field corner.
Pinch-hitter Caleb Durbin proceeded to add another run by scoring Wilyer Abreu with a groundout, giving Sox starter Garrett Crochet a three-run cushion.
Another chunk of satisfaction the Red Sox walked away with was the ace-like performance by Crochet. Like his Brewers counterpart, the Sox lefty did seem to wear down a bit in the seventh, having thrown 107 pitches. But ultimately, Crochet would be charged with just two runs, allowing reliever Zack Kelly to get out of the seventh-inning jam.
Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman closed things out, each throwing a scoreless inning.
It marked the first time this season any team had managed more than two runs against Misiorowski.
