Red Sox at Brewers
The Boston Red Sox spent the first month of the season waiting for the offense that ranked as the best in the majors in 2016 to re-emerge, and the wait appears to be over. The Red Sox will try to post double-digit runs for the third straight contest when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers for the start of a three-game interleague series on Tuesday.
Boston manager John Farrell fiddled with the lineup throughout the first month in an effort to coax a better response from an offense that averaged 3.9 runs and failed to reach double figures in the first 29 games, and he finally found the right mix while watching his team put up 28 runs in back-to-back wins at Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday. "It was just good to see the offense up and down the lineup," Farrell told reporters. "The weather's warming up. Guys are a little bit more comfortable at the plate." Trying to slow that attack for the Brewers on Tuesday will be right-hander Wily Peralta, who is struggling to work deep into games, while Boston counters with lefty Drew Pomeranz. Milwaukee's offense picked up on Sunday as well with a 6-2 win at Pittsburgh after managing a total of one run while dropping the first two games of the series.
TV: 7:40 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Drew Pomeranz (3-1, 4.00 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Wily Peralta (4-2, 4.88)
Pomeranz is enjoying a string of three straight starts allowing two earned runs but has yet to go more than six innings this season. The Tennessee native struck out seven and scattered five hits in 5 1/3 innings to earn a win over Baltimore on Wednesday but needed 100 pitches to get that far into the contest. Pomeranz lasted five innings in his lone previous start against Milwaukee and surrendered two runs without factoring in the decision.
Peralta is having similar issues working deep into games and has yet to record an out in the seventh inning this season. The Dominican allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings at St. Louis last Tuesday while striking out seven but absorbed the loss in a 2-1 final. Peralta's lone previous start against Boston came in 2014 and he did not factor in the decision while allowing five runs - two earned - in five innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Brewers 1B Eric Thames snapped a nine-game homerless drought with his 12th blast on Sunday.
2. Red Sox rookie OF Andrew Benintendi went 7-for-15 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBIs in the first three games of the road trip.
3. Boston SS Xander Bogaerts is riding an 11-game hitting streak that lifted his batting average to .340.