MILWAUKEE — Garrett Crochet has made a dozen starts for the Red Sox, all but one or two of them brilliant. In 10 of those 12 starts, he’s allowed two runs or fewer — as he did Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

But as Monday demonstrated, even Crochet’s best outings are no guarantee of team success. The Red Sox are somehow just 6-6 in games he starts — a number that runs contrary to his sterling 2.04 ERA.

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“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” said outfielder Rob Refsnyder after the Sox had wasted another gem by the lefty. “We feel like every time he goes to the mound, it’s a great thing for us. He’s such a competitor. It’s just disappointing that we can’t come through for him.”

Crochet nearly got through seven innings, allowing two runs before he was lifted following a two-out walk in the seventh. He fanned 11, walked just two and allowed five hits.

But with no offensive support while he was still in the game _ the Sox scored only after he left, and even then, not enough — Crochet had no margin for error. In the fifth, he made one anyway, when he got ahead of No. 9 hitter Andruw Monasterio and allowed a run-scoring double.

“Not making that one pitch, I feel like came back to bite me,” he said.

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In a perfect world, Crochet would have more wiggle room than that. But with the Red Sox offense starved for runs — Monday was the sixth time in the last eight games that they scored three or fewer runs — the margin for error is slimmer than ever.

“I’m still just trying to do my job to the best of my ability,” he said. “Turn in quality start and help the bullpen as much as possible.”

After being limited to 85 pitches in his last start against the Mets, Crochet tossed 108 and appeared strong until the end.

“Garrett did an amazing job,” said Alex Cora, beginning a by now familiar lament. “But offensively, didn’t do much.”

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Crochet consistently hit 96 mph with his fastball and had an especially good cutter, too. From the third inning until his final batter, he retired 12-of-14 as he recorded his seventh quality start of the season.

Of course, “quality” is a relative term when it’s not supported by any offensive production. And it didn’t help that Garrett Whitlock, who replaced Crochet in the seventh, lost the plate in the eighth, issuing two walks which led to a critical pad run for the Brewers.

“As long as I continue to do my job, I think that it will come together,” reasoned Crochet. “That’s really all there is to it.”

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Read the original article on MassLive.