Masataka Yoshida homers twice in 8th as Red Sox beat Brewers 12-5
MILWAUKEE - Masataka Yoshida homered twice during Boston's nine-run outburst in the eighth inning as the Red Sox rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 12-5 on Sunday.
Justin Turner and Yoshida started the eighth with back-to-back homers off Matt Bush (0-1) that gave the Red Sox a 5-4 lead.
Yoshida then capped the inning with a grand slam off Javy Guerra that landed in the second deck of right-field seats. Yoshida ended up driving in six runs. He also had a sacrifice fly in the first.
Boston bounced back after blowing an early 3-0 lead to move above .500 and win the weekend series. The Brewers' loss enabled the Pittsburgh Pirates to overtake them for the NL Central lead.
Yoshida became the fifth Red Sox player to homer twice in one inning, and first since Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz in August 2008. Nomar Garciaparra (2002), Ellis Burks (1990) and Bill Regan (1928) are the others.
Brian Anderson went deep twice for the Brewers. Joey Wiemer singled, doubled and scored two runs.
Wiemer gave Milwaukee a 4-3 lead in the seventh by scoring on a wild pitch from Kaleb Ort (1-0). The Red Sox wasted no time regaining the lead.
Turner led off the eighth by sending an 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall to tie the game. Yoshida followed by ripping a 1-2 curveball over the fence in right.
Bush has allowed four homers in 7 2/3 innings this season. His ERA ballooned to 8.22 after getting charged with four runs in one-third of an inning.
Since the Brewers acquired him at last year's trade deadline, Bush has given up 10 homers in 30 2/3 innings.
The Red Sox did even more damage after those back-to-back blasts.
Bush allowed a double to Kiké Hernández, retired Triston Casas on a diving catch by right fielder Blake Perkins and walked Jarren Duran before leaving the game. Connor Wong greeted Guerra with a two-run single up the middle to extend Boston's lead to 7-4.
Turner came up a second time in the inning and drew a bases-loaded walk from Guerra to make it 8-4. Yoshida followed with his 407-foot slam.
The Red Sox took a 3-0 lead in the first two innings off Corbin Burnes, who was pitching six days after leaving a 7-3 victory at Seattle in the sixth with a left pectoral strain. The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner struck out five but allowed five hits and three walks in five innings. Two of the three runs he permitted were earned.
Red Sox starter Brayan Bello struck out three and allowed five hits, three runs and two walks in 4 2/3 innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: C Reese McGuire wasn't in the starting lineup after getting hit on the top of his right hand by a foul tip in the ninth inning of Saturday night's game, but it appears he avoided serious injury. Boston manager Alex Cora said before the game that McGuire would be available if needed.
Brewers: RHP Adrian Houser threw 69 pitches, struck out two and allowed six hits in 4 2/3 shutout innings during a rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Nashville as he recovers from a groin injury.
UP NEXT
Red Sox: Begin a three-game series at Baltimore on Monday. The scheduled starters are LHP Chris Sale (1-1, 8.00 ERA) for the Red Sox and RHP Dean Kremer (1-0, 6.16) for the Orioles.
Brewers: Open a three-game home series with the Detroit Tigers on Monday. RHP Colin Rea (0-0, 4.22) will pitch for the Brewers, while LHP Matthew Boyd (0-1, 4.5) starts for the Tigers.