Twins Take Series in 6-4 Win over Brewers

The Brewers have three times as many ejections as extra-base hits in a bizarre border battle with the Twins this weekend.

Adrian Houser's performance was another oddity in tonight’s 6-4 loss to Minnesota. He was brilliant early on, keeping the Twins scoreless and hitless through three innings, Then, he surrendered four runs in the fourth. He seemed to recover in the fifth, performing the rare feat of a three-pitch inning, but unraveled again in the sixth.

In what would become the four-run fourth, Houser loaded the bases with one out, then allowed a two-run double to Miguel Sanó. The next two runs resulted from Houser’s command issues, namely, walking two and hitting a batter.

The Brewers answered right back in the fifth, piecing together four runs on small ball and opportunism. Lorenzo Cain led off with a walk, then advanced to third on a Rowdy Tellez grounder. Manny Piña got the Brewers on the board with an RBI single to score Cain. Jace Peterson followed up with another single, driving in Tellez. Willy Adames, batting in the DH spot, singled to load the bases for Christian Yelich. Yelich hit a deep sac fly that scored Piña. Miguel Sanó misfired a throw to third, which allowed Peterson to cross home and the Brewers to tie the game at four.

Houser appeared to collect himself after the offensive support in the fifth, retiring three batters on a pitch a piece, but the potential comeback would end there. After the middle of Brewers’ order sat in order in the sixth, Houser loaded the bases on two hits and another hit by pitch. Brent Suter, who came on with the bases loaded and no outs, managed the situation brilliantly. He needed four pitches to end the inning with a double play, a run-scoring groundout, and a one-run deficit.

Suter allowed another run to cross in the seventh. Jorge Polanco, who singled off the first pitch he saw from Suter, scored from first on a Josh Donaldson double to bring the Twins up 6-4.

Hoby Milner pitched a scoreless three-up, three-down inning in the eighth, but the Crew’s offense, having forgotten all of their pop on the other side of the Mississippi River, couldn’t recover the lead.

Aaron Ashby will be on the bump tomorrow as The Crew tries to avoid a series sweep.