Caleb Durbin
Four innings. That's all it took for the whispers to start. With Willy Adames sidelined, no one expected this from a rookie.
Caleb Durbin, fresh off the bus from Triple-A Nashville, is making believers out of Brewers fans tonight at Fenway. Currently 1-for-2 with a stolen base against the Red Sox, Durbin is injecting some much-needed energy into a Milwaukee lineup that's struggling to support Corbin Burnes, who's coughed up 4 earned runs already.
Yoshida is raking for the Red Sox, currently 2-for-2 with a double. Red Sox starter Crawford is dealing, allowing only one earned run through five complete.
The context is everything: the Brewers are clawing for a Wild Card spot, while Boston is simply playing out the string. The pressure is squarely on Milwaukee, and Durbin seems unfazed.
Call it small sample size, call it luck, but Durbin's aggressive baserunning and timely hitting are exactly what the Brewers need right now. He's not trying to do too much; he's simply making plays.
The question now is, can he sustain this? Is this just a flash in the pan, or is Durbin the real deal? He was called up due to an injury, but could easily earn a more permanent roster spot if he keeps this up.
Consider the alternative: Adames returns, Durbin returns to Nashville, and the Brewers' offense continues to sputter. The margin for error is razor-thin in a Wild Card race, and those missed opportunities could be the difference between October baseball and an early offseason.
Durbin is showing a spark that the Brewers desperately need. If he keeps this up, Milwaukee might just have found their unlikely October hero. The Red Sox are finding that out firsthand tonight.