The Milwaukee Brewers unleashed a seven-run fifth inning, headlined by Brice Turang’s grand slam for his first career home run, to romp over the Mets 10-0 on Monday afternoon at American Family Field.
Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco and Tommy Hunter bore the brunt of the disaster as they were the hurlers on record for all of the Brewers’ runs in their home opener. In total, Mets pitchers walked eight Brewers on the day.
For Carrasco, though, whose value to the organization only grew after Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana went down with injuries before the season started, his 2023 debut couldn’t have gone much work as he allowed five runs on four hits over four-plus innings with four walks and four strikeouts.
The Mets’ (3-2) offense had no answers for Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta, who mowed down a toothless attack with relative ease on Monday. He allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings while striking out seven. The Mets only mustered three hits all afternoon.
Carrasco suggested early enough that he’d pace Peralta, getting through the first two innings without yielding a hit but as his pitch count rose, his stuff faded.
After allowing a second walk of the afternoon to lead off the third inning against Turang, who then stole second, Carrasco allowed a two-out single to noted Mets killer Jesse Winker, who took an 86 mph changeup on the outside corner and flicked it just in front of Mark Canha in left field to put Milwaukee ahead.
Brian Anderson put the Brewers up three in the bottom of the fourth when he deposited a two-run shot — the first round-tripper of Milwaukee’s season — over the center-field fence for a two-run shot which again came with two outs in the frame.
His shot came on an 88.7 mph fastball from Carrasco on his 78th pitch of the afternoon. He started the day with his four-seamer touching 93 mph.
With it came a loss of control — and the Brewers ultimately blew the doors off the Mets during the fifth inning in the process.
After walking two straight to lead off the fifth, Carrasco’s day was done — but the damage on his ledger wasn’t.
Hunter’s first pitch to Willy Adames squeaked under the diving glove of Francisco Lindor to make it 4-0. The Mets’ deficit grew to five when William Contreras brought home a run with the bases loaded on a groundout to Jeff McNeil to officially close the book on Carrasco.
But the Mets’ reliever continued to flounder.
An RBI single by Anderson and two walks saw the bases loaded again for Turang, who effectively ended New York’s day four innings from the proverbial bell with a no-doubt grand slam to right field to make it 10-0 off a hanging changeup from Hunter.
Guillorme, who recorded two of three Mets hits while getting the start at third base, got the nod to pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning with his side down 10. He posted a zero, allowing just one hit while coaxing three flyouts.
