Ex-Red Sox Pitcher Extends Historic Run With Brewers After Regrettable Trade
Thursday was a rough day for the Boston Red Sox. Not only did they lose their series finale against the Athletics at Fenway Park, but they also lost ground in the standings with the Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees all winning. Their lead for the third American League Wild Card spot is now down to 1.5 games.
Worse, the Red Sox also saw one of their former pitchers turn in another masterful performance for his new team.
Quinn Priester, whom Boston traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for prospects Yophery Rodriguez and John Holobetz (plus a competitive balance draft pick) on April 7, gave the Brewers another dominant outing on Thursday night. He allowed just two runs on three hits over 5 2/3 innings while racking up 10 strikeouts, pitching Milwaukee to a 5-2 victory and a series sweep of the Los Angeles Angels.
The Brewers have now won Priester’s last 16 starts — the longest streak by a Major League pitcher 25 or younger since the New York Yankees won 22 straight Whitey Ford starts from 1950 to 1953.
At 13-2, Priester has the best winning percentage (.867) in baseball. Milwaukee is 21-7 in his appearances this year — a big reason why the team has the best record in baseball (94-59).
Given their recent slide, the Red Sox could have desperately used Priester’s consistency and stability at this stage of the season. Boston’s rotation has struggled lately (minus Garrett Crochet), ranking 20th in ERA (4.42) since Sept. 3 as the team has gone 5-8 during that time.
Meanwhile, Priester has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball, going 13-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 152 1/3 innings for the Brewers. He’s been even better during the second half, allowing two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his last 11 starts.
While Rodriguez and Holobetz may help the Red Sox someday, they could really use a pitcher of Priester’s caliber right about now.