MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 03: Brice Turang #0 of the Milwaukee Brewers is dunked following a game against the New York Mets on Opening Day at American Family Field on April 03, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE - Rookie Brice Turang hit a grand slam for his first major league home run, capping a seven-run fifth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers opened their home schedule by routing the New York Mets 10-0 on Monday.
Brian Anderson also homered, and Freddy Peralta pitched six innings of two-hit ball as the Brewers won their third straight. This marked Milwaukee's first shutout victory in a home opener since a 2-0 triumph over Atlanta in 2014.
Shut out in their first 16 innings this season, the Brewers have scored 22 runs in their last 20 innings.
The day started poorly for the Mets when Carlos Carrasco received a pitch-clock violation before throwing his first pitch. That set the tone for the rest of an afternoon in which they compiled more clock violations (four) than hits (three). New York has lost 14 of its last 17 games at Milwaukee.
Carrasco allowed a two-out RBI single to Jesse Winker in the third, gave up a two-run homer to Brian Anderson in the fourth — Milwaukee's first home run this season — and left after walking Christian Yelich and Jesse Winker starting the fifth.
Carrasco's fastball velocity dropped from an average of 92.1 mph in the first inning to 89.9 mph in the fifth.
The Brewers poured it on from there.
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Tommy Hunter replaced Carrasco and promptly allowed an RBI single to Willy Adames before walking Rowdy Tellez. After Winker came home when William Contreras grounded out, Carrasco walked Garrett Mitchell to load the bases.
Anderson singled home Adames, then Turang ripped an 0-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for a 417-foot blast extending Milwaukee’s lead to 10-0. Turang pumped his fist as he rounded first and raised his arms aloft as he headed to second.
Turang joined Bill Spiers (1989), Tim Unroe (1997) and Shaun Marcum (2011) as the only Brewers to hit grand slams for their first homers.
That was more than enough for Peralta, who walked two of the first three batters he faced before settling down to hold the Mets scoreless. Peralta struck out seven and allowed three walks.
Bryse Wilson worked the final three innings and gave up just one hit to earn his second career save.
Milwaukee's pitchers walked eight and the Mets six; the only pitcher without a walk was New York's Luis Guillorme — normally an infielder — who pitched a one-hit eighth.
Turang, one of three rookies in the starting lineup, has gone 5 of 10 with five RBIs through the Brewers' first four games.
Turang is the Brewers’ new starting second baseman now that they’ve traded Kolten Wong to Seattle in a deal that brought Winker to Milwaukee. Winker opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third and also has drive in five runs already.
Anderson, who signed with the Brewers in the offseason after spending six seasons with the Miami Marlins, went 2 of 3 with three RBIs on Monday.
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PITCHCOM CONCERNS
There was a brief stoppage of play in the bottom of the first inning when Carrasco had an apparent issue with his PitchCom device.
PitchCom allows catchers to push buttons on wristbands to call for fastballs, curves, changeups and anything else, along with the location. The pitcher can hear the result on an earpiece inside his hat.
METS RELEASE RUF
The Mets released first baseman/outfielder Darin Ruf and owet his $3 million salary for 2023 and his $250,000 buyout that was part of a 2024 club option. Any team can sign Ruf for the pro-rated share of the $720,000 minimum.
Ruf, 36, batted. 204 with a .307 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 45 RBIs in a combined 118 games for the Mets and San Francisco Giants last season.