Red Sox Slip by Brewers, 3-1

Red Sox hurler Bruce Hurst allowed four hits and struck out nine in seven innings yesterday, combining with Lee Smith to limit Milwaukee to five hits as the two pitched Boston to a 3-1 victory over the Brewers.

Hurst, 1-0, walked two of the game's first three batters, then another at the start of the second inning before settling down in the 41-degree weather here at Fenway Park. Hurst ended the first inning threat by retiring Rob Deer on a long fly and striking out Brewer catcher B.J. Surhoff.

"I was a little erratic at the start," the hurler said, "but as the game went on, my control improved. I was able to move the ball around with pretty good command of all my pitches."

Hurst seems to have recovered from his shaky first start last week against the Detroit Tigers in which the southpaw gave up five runs in six innings, but was not involved in the decision.

The victory improved Hurst's record in his home field to a surprising 21-7 since 1986. Fenway Park is considered particularly hostile to lefthanded pitchers because of the close leftfield fence, but Hurst seems to have tamed the Green Monster.

"I can't explain it, but I don't want anything to change here," said Hurst.

Bouncing Ball

With one out in the fourth, Surhoff got the first hit off Hurst by beating out a slow topper to the left of the mound for a single. The only other hits off Hurst were doubles by Paul Molitor and Greg Brock and a single by Steve Kiefer.

With one out in the seventh, Brock doubled off the wall in left-center and took third on Kiefer's ground single to left. However, Hurst got pinchhitter Joey Meyer to ground into an inning-ending double play.

The Red Sox scored their first run against Chris Bosio, 1-1, in the bottom of the first inning on a single by second baseman Marty Barrett, a force play, and singles by outfielders Jim Rice and Mike Greenwell.

Boston also broke through against Bosio in the third inning. Ellis Burks, returning to action after ankle surgery last month, began the Boston inning with the first of his two singles. Barrett forced Burks at second, took third on a double by third baseman Wade Boggs and scored on Rice's sacrifice fly.

Burks was also instrumental in producing the Sox' final tally. The centerfielder singled to open the fifth and came all the way around to score on Barrett's line-drive double into the leftfield corner.

The Boston runs spoiled a fine performance by the young Brewer hurler. Bosio allowed only eight hits, struck out five and didn't walk a single batter in going the distance for Milwaukee.

Boston Manager John MacNamara brought Smith in to relieve Hurst after he walked Molitor to open the eighth. One out later, the speedy Molitor stole second as Smith struck out Brewer shortstop Robin Yount. Glenn Braggs then doubled off Smith to knock in Molitor.

The big righthanded reliever, who was acquired in December from the Chicago Cubs for pitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Al Nipper, did not give up another hit the rest of the way. Smith struck out three batters on the way to earning his third save of the season.