Milwaukee 4, Minnesota 2
When: 2:10 PM ET, Saturday, June 6, 2015
Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Temperature:
73°
Umpires:
Home -
Toby Basner, 1B -
Brian Knight, 2B -
Victor Carapazza, 3B -
Ron Kulpa
Attendance:
38707
By The Sports Xchange
MINNEAPOLIS -- Two former Minnesota Twins did their old team in on Saturday as the Milwaukee Brewers won a series for just the fourth time this season.
Center fielder Carlos Gomez had four hits and knocked in three runs and right-hander Matt Garza pitched seven strong innings as the Brewers won 4-2 at Target Field.
Minnesota dropped to 2-4 in its last six games, all against last-place teams. Milwaukee, which has the worst record in the majors, has won four of its last six games overall.
Gomez, traded from Minnesota to Milwaukee in 2009, knocked in three runs, including the go-ahead runs with a single in the seventh inning, breaking a 1-1 tie. Gomez is 6-for-9 in the series.
Gomez's hit made a winner of Garza (4-7), who allowed one run and six hits while striking out three. The outing tied the longest of the season for Garza, who also went seven innings and allowed one run against the Chicago Cubs on May 10.
"I feel really good about how I threw," Garza said. "Not a lot of punchouts but no walks. That's huge. Just attacking, staying on the attack the whole game and when I needed to make big pitches, I did. I didn't think about them."
Garza's biggest moment came in the fifth when Minnesota loaded the bases against him with nobody out. But Garza got Aaron Hicks to pop out to second before coaxing a 6-4-3 double play by shortstop Danny Santana to end the threat.
"That's a big spot," Garza said. "I was thinking at that point I could trade one (run) for two (outs). But I got the guy to pop out and got the double play after that. It worked out great."
Twins manager Paul Molitor said, "We haven't been doing great situationally of late, something that we were excelling at for a while. Danny had a really good battle. That's something you don't see too often when he grounds into a double play."
The late-game heroics erased a couple of bad baserunning errors by Gomez, who was doubled off second base after a bunt hit and a stolen base to start the game. Right fielder Ryan Braun followed with a home run over the wall in center field to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.
In the third, Gomez singled to center but was picked off second base after deciding late to abort his decision to go from first to third. Braun followed with a single, which might have scored Gomez had he been on second base.
No matter.
Gomez knocked in the final three runs to ensure the Brewers of their first series win since mid-May.
"That's how he plays the game; it's all out," Braun said. "There's going to be some mistakes that are made on occasion, but he's so fun to watch. He's just continuing to get better and better."
Right-hander Ryan Pressly (3-2) took the loss, allowing one run in two innings of relief. Reliever J.R. Graham got the spot start, allowing one run and six hits in four innings.
"I went out there and gave it everything I had," Graham said. "I really can't complain. I thought I gave my team the best chance to win and I was very proud."
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier had two hits, including a solo home run in the eighth inning, pulling Minnesota to within one run at 3-2. But Gomez added an RBI double in the ninth to re-establish the two-run lead.
Rodriguez worked around a leadoff walk, retiring the next three hitters in order for his 10th save of the season and 358th of his career, tying Troy Percival for ninth on baseball's career list.
Brewers shortstop Jean Segura had two hits and scored a run. Segura and Gomez each have active nine-game hitting streaks, the longest for the Brewers this season.
NOTES: Brewers RF Ryan Braun was back in the lineup Saturday after missing two games following a cryotherapy procedure on his ailing right thumb. ... Twins RHP Ricky Nolasco had a cortisone shot in his right ankle on Saturday morning. The club will give it a few days be
Top Game Performances
Starting Pitchers
Milwaukee |
|
Minnesota |
Matt Garza
|
Player |
J.R. Graham
|
Win |
W/L |
No Decision |
7.0 |
IP |
4.0 |
3 |
Strikeouts |
3 |
6 |
Hits |
6 |
1.29 |
ERA |
2.25 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Hits |
HR |
TB |
Avg |
LOB |
K |
RBI |
BB |
SB |
Errors |
Milwaukee
|
10 |
1 |
14 |
.303 |
12 |
7 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
Minnesota
|
7 |
1 |
12 |
.226 |
14 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |