MILWAUKEE — Rowdy Tellez continued to trouble the Boston Red Sox, homering for the second straight game and helping the Milwaukee Brewers win 5-4 on Saturday night.
Tellez hit a two-run shot off Garret Whitlock in the third inning. He also homered in the Brewers’ 5–3 loss to the Red Sox on Friday.
Tellez, who faced Boston more often while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2018-21, has 14 homers and 29 RBI in 37 career games against the Red Sox. He has not hit more than eight homers against any other team.
He entered Saturday with a 1.183 career OPS against the Red Sox.
Yu Chang and Rafael Devers hit two-run homers for the Red Sox. Devers’ blast was his AL-leading eighth of the season.
The Red Sox got into position to score the tying run in each of the last two innings, but could not break through.
Justin Turner hit a one-out double off Peter Strzelecki in the eighth, but Hobie Milner struck out Jaron Duran and Devers to end the threat. Masataka Yoshida reached on a one-out single in the ninth and moved to second on Raimel Tapia’s grounder to left, but Devin Williams retired Reese McGuire on a fly to shallow left and earned his third save in as many chances.
Joey Wiemer of the Milwaukee Brewers jumps on a ball hit by Alex Verdugo of the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of a baseball game on Saturday, April 22, 2023 in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Aaron Gash
The Brewers took a 1–0 lead in the second when William Contreras and Brian Anderson hit consecutive doubles. Milwaukee extended the lead to 3–0 in the third when Tellez hit a 412-foot blast over the center-field wall on a 3–2 changeup.
Boston cut Milwaukee’s lead to 3–2 on a Chang drive with two outs left in the fifth.
The Red Sox threatened to do more damage in the fifth, but Brewers center fielder Joey Wiemer made a layup on the warning track to rob Alex Verdugo of an extra base hit.
The Brewers got the lead to three in the bottom of the fifth, though they missed a chance to break the game.
Yu Chang of the Boston Red Sox gestures after hitting a two-run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Aaron Gash
Blake Perkins started the rally with his first major-league hit and scored on Christian Yelich’s double. The Brewers then loaded the bases against Whitlock with none out.
Richard Blair came out of the bullpen and got out of the jam as Téllez hit into a double play and Contreras grounded out. Yelich hit on a double play to make it 5–2.
Devers made it a one-run game again by homering Joel Payemps in the sixth.
Milwaukee’s Wade Miley (3-1) had three hits and allowed four hits, two runs and one walk over five innings, lowering his ERA to 1.96.
Whitlock (1-2) struck out one and allowed eight hits, five walks and a walk in four innings.
trainer’s room
Milwaukee RHP Adrian Houser is expected to throw 75-80 pitches with Triple-A Nashville on Sunday and could start as he makes his return from a right groin injury that kept him from making his 2023 debut Is.
Houser started 76 games from 2019–22, but was expected to open in the bullpen this season. That plan could change now that Brandon Woodruff is out indefinitely with an injured right shoulder.
“With Woody’s injury, we decided the best thing to do was pull Adrian out,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said before the game.
Milwaukee RHP Bryce Wilson started 20 of his 25 appearances with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, but the Brewers intend to keep him in the bullpen, where he has flourished so far. Wilson is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA and two saves in six relief appearances.
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RHP Brian Bello (0-1, 16.88) starts for the Red Sox and RHP Corbin Burns (2-1, 4.76) pitches for the Brewers in Sunday’s rubber game of this series.
