Target Field brings no answers to struggling Twins
This weekend, the Minnesota Twins had hoped that a return to the cozy confines of Target Field would fix what plagued a 1-5 road trip to Houston & Cincinnati. Instead, the visiting Milwaukee Brewers played their best Thomas Wolfe card—You Can’t Go Home Again—in sweeping MIN in front of largely Cheesehead crowds.
Rocco Baldelli decided to use Danny Coulombe as an opener against the Brew Crew today and that strategy backfired as it seemingly has every time this organization has tried it. Danny got the first two outs easy as pie, but Christian Yelich doubled and was quickly plated by a William Contreras single.
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That lead lasted all of six Quinn Priester pitches, as Twins Superman Byron Buxton again wasn’t waiting until July 9 to fly! This leadoff launch surpassed Dan Gladden’s all-time MN one-hole HR honorific (still a ways to go to catch Brian Dozier’s top mark).
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Not content to just lean on Buck (a phrase which could describe the entirety of the past week), the other MIN bats scraped together a crooked number when the Conga Line of Trevor Larnach—Ty France—Brooks Lee all singled and saw Trev complete the circuit.
Alas, as per the fates of the last two weeks, that 2-1 Twins lead itself lasted five okay-now-its-David-Festa hurls as Rhys Hoskins poked a solo shot directly down the LF line.
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The 2-2 tie lasted exactly one half inning, when Milwaukee absolutely abused 3B Brooks Lee in the top of the 3rd:
- Sal Frelick chopped one to Lee that put an E in his box score tally
- Jackson Chourio laid down a perfect bunt that Lee could only stuff in his pocket
- Yelich chopped one over Lee’s head
As Brooks licked his wounds/ego, Festa found further foolishness and the inning ended at 4-2 Suds-ers.
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After Minnesota left two runners on sacks in B3, Festa’s off-target offering allowed Caleb Durbin to scamper home the next half-inning—and give the mostly-Wisconsonite crowd more to gloat over as their lead increased to 5-2.
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This game would not allow me an opportunity to step away from this recap for even one moment, as Ryan Jeffers quickly jacked a moonshot he kept juuuuuuust fair down the LF line and pulled the Twins to within two (5-3).
Sadly, we now reach the point this afternoon where—much like a cat toying with its mousy prey—the Brewers decided the put our Twins away for good. In the top of the 5th, Hoskins whacked a ground-rule double literally off the body of Lee to put multiple runners in scoring position. Given that inch, the Brewers took the requisite mile as Brice Turang homered off Festa & then three consecutive MIL singles put a capper on the 9-3 lead.
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Or was it the capper?
The Twins made a little noise in the later innings. Buxton hit ANOTHER home run and a 7th-inning rally loaded the bases to produce a single run.
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Then, a two-out, two-run France home run in B8 pulled the Twins to within one run (9-8)!
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Against former-Twin-turned-Brewers-closer Trevor Megill, the Twins put two men on with one out in B9. But a Matt Wallner pop-up & a Larnach caught-looking consummated the sweep for the Brewers.
Folks, this recap took it all out of me today. Your Final: Milwaukee Brewers 9, Minnesota Twins 8.
The Twins were outclassed by Pat Murphy’s squad all weekend. I wouldn’t necessarily say the hometown nine didn’t battle or that they rolled over—but the Brewers were just the better bunch in every aspect of the game.
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Up next: the Seattle Mariners arrive for a four-game set (M-T-W night; H afternoon).
Studs
- Audra Martin: Giving a free beer to a clearly-flummoxed-by-the-presence-of-a-beautiful-woman-handing-him-an-alcoholic-beverage fan who had snared Buxton’s home run with one hand and given it to his father.
- Audra Martin again: Finding a random guy in the crowd with a Trevor Plouffe shirsey and interviewing him.
- Byron Buxton: Truly the only thing to be excited about on this roster right now.
- Late-inning battling.
Duds
- Coulombe: unable to fulfill the main duty of the opener: keep the opposition off the board for one inning.
- Festa: 4.2 IP, 12 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
Comment of the Game
- This one is 100% for the user name.