W: Manny Parra (1-3)
L: Carl Pavano (4-5)
S: John Axford (1)
HR: Corey Hart (9), Prince Fielder (7)
MVP: Prince Fielder (+.181)
LVP: Rickie Weeks (-.101)
Win Expectancy Graph and Star of the Game Voting
SBNation Coverage
I'm happy to be wrong about this one. In a game I'd written off before it even started, five Brewer pitchers combined to hold the Twins in check and the Brewer bats provided just enough to get the victory.
With the bullpen worn out and Marco Estrada pitching on 0 days rest, the Brewers were forced to cobble together nine innings, and did so very well:
- Estrada went three innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out three.
- Manny Parra followed him to the mound and pitched two scoreless, allowing three hits and two walks and getting out of a bases loaded jam.
- Zach Braddock, making his major league debut, pitched two scoreless innings, allowing a walk and a hit and pitching a 1-2-3 7th.
- Trevor Hoffman, making his 1000th big league appearance, pitched a 1-2-3 8th. It was his fourth scoreless frame in his last five non-save situation appearances.
- John Axford made it interesting but pitched the ninth to close it out, picking up his first save since the final day of last season.
At the plate, the long ball was the story of the day. Three of the Brewers' four runs came via homer, with Corey Hart hitting his ninth (a two run shot) and Prince Fielder hitting a solo home run (his seventh) to give the Brewers a two run lead in the sixth. On the day Fielder went 2-for-2 with the home run, a walk and an HBP.