Brewers can't stop Boston's 'parade of runs'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Milwaukee Brewers watched a few parades over the weekend. Unfortunately, two of them came against their pitching staff.
Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo gave up six runs in the first inning and Boston recorded its second double-digit scoring output in the three-game series, leading the Red Sox to a 12-3 win over the Brewers on Sunday.
Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer to highlight Boston's six-run first inning and Tim Wakefield held Milwaukee to three hits over eight innings, sending Milwaukee to its fifth loss on a seven-game road trip.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A nice time for a team that struggles on the road (15-24) to return to Miller Park, where they have been dominant this season. Milwaukee, which is 25-9 at home, opens a six-game homestand against Tampa Bay on Monday.
Boston, which took two of three games in the series, posted a 10-4 win on Friday when it scored four early runs against Shaun Marcum, who had to leave the game with a left hip flexor.
"We come with two pitchers in Marcum and Gallardo, these two guys, they're studs. I thought coming into this ball park, I thought they'd hold down this good offense and they didn't," Milwaukee manager Ron Roenicke said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nyjer Morgan and Prince Fielder homered for Milwaukee, with Morgan's a two-run shot.
Gallardo (8-4) was tagged for eight runs — five earned — on nine hits, walked two and struck out four in three-plus innings. The right-hander had allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.
"You never want to have a first inning like that. It was tough, it was definitely tough," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A few minutes after the Red Sox honored the Stanley Cup champion Bruins with a pregame ceremony, they turned Fenway Park into a TD Garden atmosphere during their six-run first inning, blaring a loud fog horn and playing the same music that's played down the other end of the city when the hockey team scores.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia each singled and advanced on a wild pitch before Adrian Gonzalez reached on starter Gallardo's fielding error when he dropped first baseman Fielder's toss covering the bag. Ellsbury scored on the play. Youkilis then followed with his homer into the seats above the Green Monster, making it 4-0.
Roenicke thought the error may have bothered Gallardo.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I thought he was OK, but then after the ground ball he dropped at first base, I thought he maybe started making a lot more mistakes there," he said. "I don't know if he was ticked or what it was. But he just didn't pitch well after that."
David Ortiz and J.D. Drew followed Youkilis' homer with singles, and Josh Reddick walked with two outs, loading the bases for Ellsbury's ground-rule double that made it 6-0.
Dustin Pedroia had a solo homer and drove in two runs, and Marco Scutaro hit a two-run shot for the Red Sox, who won their 13th in 15 games.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wakefield (4-2) only gave up Casey McGehee's second-inning double besides the two homers in posting his 183rd career win with the Red Sox. He struck out six and walked one.
Milwaukee cut it to 6-2 on Morgan's two-run homer in the top of the second, but Boston broke it open with two in fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Boston chased Gallardo in the fourth when Pedroia homered leading off and Gonzalez tripled for his 1,000th career hit. Gonzalez scored on Ortiz's ground out, making it 8-2.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pedroia also had a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Scutaro's two-run homer off Sergio Mitre made it 11-2 in the sixth.
Fielder homered into the right-field seats in the seventh. Gonzalez added an RBI single in the seventh.
Notes: Roenicke said he wasn't sure if Marcum would make his next start. "We'll have to make that decision (Monday)," he said. He said Marcum had an MRI on Saturday and will be checked out again at home on Monday. ... Roenicke proved to be correct about Wakefield in his pregame meeting with the media. "It's completely different (facing him)," he said. "You can't prepare for him. If he's got a good knuckleball you're not going to hit him." ... Brewers usher Bob Kozlowski, from Milwaukee, sang 'God Bless America' during the seventh-inning stretch. ... Gonzalez matched his career-high with his third triple of the year.