As Opening Day approaches, the Brewers are making final adjustments before the season begins. With Brandon Woodruff’s status still uncertain, he got a crucial start tonight. In the end, the Brewers defeated the Rangers 11-4, with their offense dominating the game.
The Brewers were quick to get on the board. Sal Frelick led off with a walk, stole second and scored on Andrew Vaughn’s single. In the next inning, Gary Sanchez and Luis Rengifo hit back-to-back home runs, scoring two more runs. David Hamilton struck again with a single and a steal, and Joey Ortiz drove in a single. After two innings, the Brewers led 4-0.
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In the fourth inning, the Brewers scored a string of runs. Vaughn led off the inning with a single, then Garrett Mitchell made a fielding error. Sanchez then loaded the bases. After Rengifo flew to center, Brandon Lockridge continued his strong bounce with an RBI double, scoring two runs. Hamilton followed with an RBI double for two more runs. That took Rangers starter Jacob Ratz out of the game, leaving Dane Acker to breathe a sigh of relief. Christian Yelich opened the inning with a three-run home run after a Frilick grounder and an Ortiz walk. After the first three innings, the Brewers had scored 11 runs.
Woodruff, meanwhile, started the game 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. The situation started to go wrong in the third game. The Rangers scored their first run on a single by Tyler Wade and an RBI double by Alejandro Osuna. Woodruff got healthy with strikeouts of Jonah Blade and Joc Pederson, but walked Evan Carter between them. Joe Corbett finished the inning for Woodruff and struck out Danny Jansen to end the inning.
Woodruff returned in the fourth inning but soon allowed back-to-back home runs to Ezequiel Duran and Mark Canha. He lined up Sam Haggerty, but his days were over. Overall, he pitched three of the first four innings. He allowed three runs and four hits, two of which were home runs. He also threw 62 pitches, striking out four and walking one. While he did get the four starts he wanted in the game (his goal was to start four innings of warm-up and pitching), his velocity dropped off noticeably toward the end of the inning. After the race, Woodruff said he felt great despite the speed.
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Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) on X
After the fourth quarter, both bullpens struggled the rest of the game. Trevor Megill pitched in the fifth inning and struck out, but recorded four outs after Canha struck out in a swing on a wild pitch. Abner Uribe, making his first appearance since returning from the World Baseball Classic, allowed a hit but then retired in order and struck out the next three games.
Jared Koenig got into some trouble with back-to-back singles to start the seventh inning. He got two outs thanks to a defensive double, and then Canha’s flyout ended the inning. Grant Anderson walked one in the eighth inning, but that was in a scoreless game. Steven Cruz finished the game for the Brewers, walking two but holding the Rangers scoreless to end the game.
Vaughn and Hamilton each had two hits for the Brewers offense. Yelich hit a three-run homer for his second of the spring, and Lockridge and Hamilton each had two runs. Ortiz also reached base twice, with a hit and a walk, and also drove in a base hit. As a team, the Brewers had nine hits (three of them home runs) and drove in four runs.
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The Brewers have two games tomorrow. The Brewers’ rookies will play the first of two spring breakout games that day, and the Mariners’ rookies will travel to Phoenix to face them. The game will be played at 4:10 p.m. and will air on MLB Video. The Brewers will then take on the Diamondbacks in the evening, with the first game scheduled for 8:10 p.m., which will be audio broadcast on MLB.com.