Deadspin | Soaring Brewers, struggling Red Sox to clash in Boston 
Apr 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich (22) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images If the Boston Red Sox are going to break out of their season-opening funk this week, the turnaround will need to start against the Milwaukee Brewers, who are tied for the best record in baseball.
The teams will open their lone interleague series of the season on Monday night, playing the first of three games in Boston.
Milwaukee, which won an MLB-best 97 games a season ago, has won its first three series and sits at 7-2 after securing an 8-5 victory Sunday over the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers have yet to play a National League team.
Boston is in opposite shape at 2-7, having fallen 8-6 to the San Diego Padres on Sunday in the rubber game of its home-opening series.
On Sunday, the Brewers never trailed. Gary Sanchez hit his team-leading third home run — a two-out, two-run shot in the first inning — to help them jump to a 3-0 lead, while Christian Yelich had a pair of hits, including an RBI triple in the first.
“It’s relentless,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said of his offense. “These guys know that two outs means you’re two-thirds done with the inning, and that’s it.”
The Brewers’ Sunday lineup did not include Massachusetts native Sal Frelick, who exited the second game of a Saturday doubleheader with tightness on his left side.
“He could have played,” Murphy said. “Think he’ll be better (Monday).”
Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will start the series opener after allowing two runs on four hits and striking out six in five innings on Tuesday in a 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“My one and only goal this year is being healthy and being available,” said Woodruff, who returned from a two-year rehab following shoulder surgery last July and finished 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts.
Woodruff has made just one career start against the Red Sox, striking out nine and allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings on July 29, 2022. He got the win in the 4-1 Milwaukee victory.
As for the Red Sox, they lost a 4-0 lead they built after three innings against the Padres on Sunday and have lost back-to-back games and seven of eight since their Opening Day victory on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.
“There were some signs that were positive (and) others that stayed the same, but you’ve got to stay the course. You cannot overreact over this series,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You have to play better.”
Wilyer Abreu — who has a .429 batting average and is tied with Christian Walker of the Houston Astros to lead MLB with eight extra-base hits — and Masataka Yoshida each had three hits on Sunday. But it was an all-too-familiar refrain for the Red Sox, who are off to their worst start since 2019.
“We didn’t expect to lose this many games,” outfielder Roman Anthony said. “When you take the field as a competitor and as a team, you expect to win every day. … We need to find a way to just bring more energy and be better. This is unacceptable.”
After posting a career-best 3.35 ERA in 2025, Brayan Bello (0-1, 9.64 ERA) will take the mound for Boston on Monday after struggling in his season debut last Tuesday against the Astros. He was touched for six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three two-out walks in 4 2/3 innings and took the loss in the 9-2 game.
Bello allowed that many runs in only one of his 29 appearances (28 starts) last season — a 10-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on May 18 in which he allowed seven runs, all earned.
“It didn’t go the way I expected,” he said after he first start of 2026. “If I let them put the ball in play or any other outcome, things might’ve been different.”
The 26-year-old is 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Soaring #Brewers #struggling #Red #Sox #clash #Boston
Apr 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich (22) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images If the Boston Red Sox are going to break out of their season-opening funk this week, the turnaround will need to start against the Milwaukee Brewers, who are tied for the best record in baseball.
The teams will open their lone interleague series of the season on Monday night, playing the first of three games in Boston.
Milwaukee, which won an MLB-best 97 games a season ago, has won its first three series and sits at 7-2 after securing an 8-5 victory Sunday over the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers have yet to play a National League team.
Boston is in opposite shape at 2-7, having fallen 8-6 to the San Diego Padres on Sunday in the rubber game of its home-opening series.
On Sunday, the Brewers never trailed. Gary Sanchez hit his team-leading third home run — a two-out, two-run shot in the first inning — to help them jump to a 3-0 lead, while Christian Yelich had a pair of hits, including an RBI triple in the first.
“It’s relentless,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said of his offense. “These guys know that two outs means you’re two-thirds done with the inning, and that’s it.”
The Brewers’ Sunday lineup did not include Massachusetts native Sal Frelick, who exited the second game of a Saturday doubleheader with tightness on his left side.
“He could have played,” Murphy said. “Think he’ll be better (Monday).”
Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will start the series opener after allowing two runs on four hits and striking out six in five innings on Tuesday in a 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“My one and only goal this year is being healthy and being available,” said Woodruff, who returned from a two-year rehab following shoulder surgery last July and finished 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts.
Woodruff has made just one career start against the Red Sox, striking out nine and allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings on July 29, 2022. He got the win in the 4-1 Milwaukee victory.
As for the Red Sox, they lost a 4-0 lead they built after three innings against the Padres on Sunday and have lost back-to-back games and seven of eight since their Opening Day victory on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.
“There were some signs that were positive (and) others that stayed the same, but you’ve got to stay the course. You cannot overreact over this series,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You have to play better.”
Wilyer Abreu — who has a .429 batting average and is tied with Christian Walker of the Houston Astros to lead MLB with eight extra-base hits — and Masataka Yoshida each had three hits on Sunday. But it was an all-too-familiar refrain for the Red Sox, who are off to their worst start since 2019.
“We didn’t expect to lose this many games,” outfielder Roman Anthony said. “When you take the field as a competitor and as a team, you expect to win every day. … We need to find a way to just bring more energy and be better. This is unacceptable.”
After posting a career-best 3.35 ERA in 2025, Brayan Bello (0-1, 9.64 ERA) will take the mound for Boston on Monday after struggling in his season debut last Tuesday against the Astros. He was touched for six runs (five earned) on eight hits and three two-out walks in 4 2/3 innings and took the loss in the 9-2 game.
Bello allowed that many runs in only one of his 29 appearances (28 starts) last season — a 10-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on May 18 in which he allowed seven runs, all earned.
“It didn’t go the way I expected,” he said after he first start of 2026. “If I let them put the ball in play or any other outcome, things might’ve been different.”
The 26-year-old is 0-1 with a 3.95 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
![Angel Reese’s time in Chicago is officially over The Chicago Sky have traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dreams, ending her two-year run as the face of the Sky’s franchise. Reese lands in Atlanta in exchange for the Dream’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2028. As part of the trade, Atlanta also receives the right to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.Reese, a rising third-year player, has been one of the league’s most formidable frontcourt players; she’s a two-time All-Star who has averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds in her career.“I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the Atlanta Dream organization,” Reese said in an official press release. “I’m focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans, and giving everything I’ve got to the Dream.”The relationship between Reese and the Sky organization appeared fractured ever since she was suspended for a game in September for what the organization termed “statements detrimental to the team.”That came after she sat down for an interview with the Chicago Tribune about the state of the organization. Among her remarks, Reese told the Tribune she is “not settling for the same shit we did this year,” and that the team ”[has] to get great players,” among other comments.The Chicago Sky failed to make the playoffs in both of Reese’s first two seasons, finishing with a 10-34 record last season — the second-worst record in the WNBA.The Dream were 30-14 last year, but lost to the Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs. They were led by All-Stars Allisha Gray (18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists), Rhyne Howard (17.5 points, 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds), and Brionna Jones (12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds per game).Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover praised Reese in an official statement.“Angel is a dynamic talent and a perfect fit for what we are building in Atlanta,” said Padover. “She has already proven herself as one of the most impactful players in the league, and her competitiveness, production, and drive to win align seamlessly with our vision. This is an exciting moment for our organization and our fans.” #Angel #Reeses #time #Chicago #officially](https://i3.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/gettyimages-2232943689.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.72992968287%2C100%2C78.540140634259&w=1200&ssl=1 "Angel Reese’s time in Chicago is officially over The Chicago Sky have traded Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dreams, ending her two-year run as the face of the Sky’s franchise. Reese lands in Atlanta in exchange for the Dream’s first-round picks in 2027 and 2028. As part of the trade, Atlanta also receives the right to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.Reese, a rising third-year player, has been one of the league’s most formidable frontcourt players; she’s a two-time All-Star who has averaged 14.1 points and 12.9 rebounds in her career.“I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the Atlanta Dream organization,” Reese said in an official press release. “I’m focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans, and giving everything I’ve got to the Dream.”The relationship between Reese and the Sky organization appeared fractured ever since she was suspended for a game in September for what the organization termed “statements detrimental to the team.”That came after she sat down for an interview with the Chicago Tribune about the state of the organization. Among her remarks, Reese told the Tribune she is “not settling for the same shit we did this year,” and that the team ”[has] to get great players,” among other comments.The Chicago Sky failed to make the playoffs in both of Reese’s first two seasons, finishing with a 10-34 record last season — the second-worst record in the WNBA.The Dream were 30-14 last year, but lost to the Indiana Fever in the first round of the playoffs. They were led by All-Stars Allisha Gray (18.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists), Rhyne Howard (17.5 points, 4.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds), and Brionna Jones (12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds per game).Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover praised Reese in an official statement.“Angel is a dynamic talent and a perfect fit for what we are building in Atlanta,” said Padover. “She has already proven herself as one of the most impactful players in the league, and her competitiveness, production, and drive to win align seamlessly with our vision. This is an exciting moment for our organization and our fans.” #Angel #Reeses #time #Chicago #officially")
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