\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"Brook](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4251209_web1_BJ-05202025WPGGoldeyesVsSiouxFallsCararies08.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
Brook Jones \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Veteran Goldeyes Outfielder Max Murphy belted his first home run of the year \u2014 a three-run shot in the fourth inning \u2014 to blow the game wide open.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew we had good baseball players in here. That wasn\u2019t a question. It was about getting going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winnipeg certainly did that in sweeping Milwaukee \u2014 who arrived in town with a league-best 5-1 record \u2014 by a combined total of 23-7. It was quite the reversal from a week ago in Wisconsin, where the Milkmen beat the Goldeyes three straight times to begin the 100-game campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it just takes one game and then the ball gets rolling in the right direction and guys\u2019 confidence gets a little bit amped up,\u201d said Watkins.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey feel better about themselves, they start seeing their numbers on the screen looking better. I thought we pitched pretty well, and obviously swung the bats a lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n
A familiar face stepped up in that department. Veteran outfielder Max Murphy belted his first home-run of the year \u2014 a three-run shot in the fourth inning \u2014 to blow the game wide-open.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome. That\u2019s exactly what we needed after getting swept there by them,\u201d said Murphy, who added to his franchise record by going deep for the 103rd time.<\/p>\n
What changed?<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew we had good baseball players in here. That wasn\u2019t a question. It was about getting going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeginning of the season, our pitchers thought we could just come out and throw fastballs by everyone and our hitters thought we\u2019d get only fastballs down the middle,\u201d said Murphy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe adjusted fast, because that\u2019s not the way the game is played.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy wasn\u2019t the only one swinging a hot bat Sunday.<\/p>\n
First baseman Roby Enriquez notched his first homer of the season, a two-run shot in the first inning. Catcher Kevin Garcia went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a run scored and an RBI while second baseman Adam Hall (triple, single) and left fielder Jiandido Tromp (double, single) also had multi-hit games.<\/p>\n
Centrefielder Noah Marcelo had a run-scoring double to give him a team-leading seven RBI, while third baseman Keshawn Lynch also drove in a run.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long lineup,\u201d said Murphy. \u201cWe\u2019ve got guys going at the end of the lineup, beginning of the lineup, middle. It\u2019s much different than last year. We can do it from any part of the lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it just takes one game and then the ball gets rolling in the right direction and guys\u2019 confidence gets a little bit amped up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy\u2019s big day brought him one step closer to another major milestone. The 33-year-old is now just two RBIs behind retired fan favourite Reggie Abercrombie for both the Goldeyes and the American Association record.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so close. Just keep playing good baseball and let those sorts of things come,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While the offensive eruption was a most welcome development, don\u2019t overlook the value of quality pitching. Winnipeg got that in spades Sunday from starter Luke Boyd, who cruised through six scoreless innings to record the win. He scattered five hits and struck out six.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe obviously threw really well,\u201d said Watkins.<\/p>\n
\u201cA pretty trustworthy guy. I kind of know what kind of start we\u2019re going to get out of him every time he gets the ball. He\u2019s not going to walk a ton of guys, he\u2019s not going to get hit a ton. When he\u2019s got his slider, change-up and cutter working he can get some strikeouts. He\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only blip came from rookie Canadian righty Chas Wheatley, who just signed with the team on Saturday and made his professional debut in the seventh inning \u2014 giving up a single, hitting a batter and then issuing two straight walks before he was pulled. Both Milwaukee runs were charged against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely happy that what I kind of envisioned of our team going into the season is starting to show itself a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old from Edmonton, who just finished up his collegiate career with Iowa, was likely battling some nerves.<\/p>\n
Weston Lombard, Arij Fransen and Eli Saul each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cI\u2019m definitely happy that what I kind of envisioned of our team going into the season is starting to show itself a little bit,\u201d said Watkins.<\/p>\n It helps that the team is getting a bit healthier, too. Starter James Bradwell, who threw a nine-inning no-hitter last season, made his debut on Saturday night by pitching one inning. He\u2019s working his way back from an off-season injury and will slowly be built up.<\/p>\n The Goldeyes are without two relievers in Willian Suarez and James Colyer, which led to the signing of Wheatley. They are expected to miss at least another week, perhaps longer.<\/p>\n Winnipeg now hits the road for a six-game trip starting Tuesday night which includes stops in Gary, Ind. and Chicago. They\u2019re back in town on June 1 for the start of a season-long 10-game homestand.<\/p>\n www.winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n