The Milwaukee Brewers lost a heartbreaker to the Cincinnati Reds in their first game of their series on Monday night. Despite trailing 8-0 at one point in Aaron Ashby‘s first appearance since October 5, 2022, the Brewers battled back and were within one run, trailing 9-8 late in the game.
Unfortunately, three early errors by the Brewers (there were originally four, but one error originally charged to first baseman Rhys Hoskins was changed to a hit) proved to be too much for them to overcome.
Cincinnati Reds Shortstop Elly de la Cruz Gave the Milwaukee Brewers Trouble
Going into the first game of the series, Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz was hitting .242/.324/.394 with no home runs. Cincinnati, however, was (and still is) leading Major League Baseball in stolen bases. That speed, especially that belonging to de la Cruz, seemed to give Brewers infielders some kind of issue.
Third baseman Joey Ortiz had two errors and Hoskins, as mentioned, had one. Sal Frelick made an ill-fated diving attempt on a de la Cruz liner in centerfield that ended up as an inside the park home run.
All told, de la Cruz finished 3-4 with two home runs and two RBI, raising his batting line to .297/.366/.595.
After the game, Milwaukee catcher William Contreras had strong words for his teammates regarding their approach to de la Cruz and the Reds’ speedy baserunners.
Milwaukee Brewers William Contreras Calls Out His Team After Committing Three Errors
Speaking with reporters after the game, Contreras said (via Adam McCalvy):
“I think it’s really a conversation we need to have with the whole team. He’s a good player, but he’s not from another world. There’s no need to do anything crazy. He’s a good player, but we have good players here, too.”
The fact that the Brewers nearly came back from an 8-0 deficit is clear proof that they have plenty of good players. Whatever conversation was had must have worked, too, because Milwaukee won Tuesday’s matchup against the Reds by the score of 9-5.
Milwaukee pitchers, led by Joe Ross who became the first Brewers starting pitcher to pitch into the seventh inning this year, held de la Cruz to a line of 1-4. He still had a RBI and scored a run, but the defense’s approach to his baserunning was much more controlled.
William Contreras Is Off to a Hot Start for the Milwaukee Brewers
For his part, Contreras is off to a stellar start for the Brewers in his second season with the club. A Silver Slugger winner in 2023, he is making an early case for winning the award again with early season averages of .375/.435/.625 with two home runs and nine RBI.
One aspect of his game that is showing early improvements is avoiding hitting into double plays. Last season, Contreras led the National League with 23 such instances. Through 10 games, he has grounded into just one double play.
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