Final Score
Twins 6, Brewers 3
Game Summary
The roof was closed at Miller Park, given the rain, so there was some opportunity for fireworks offensively, and they didn't disappoint. The Twins (20-28) put together a 2-out rally in the 1st for a 1-0 lead, and the Brewers (19-30) threatened in their half despite Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez getting days off before great defense bailed out the Twins. Minnesota added a run in the 4th, which Milwaukee got right back. The Twins out together a couple runs in the 5th, and Milwaukee stormed back again in the 6th. The Twins shut them down after that, adding a couple insurance runs towards the end for some padding they wouldn't end up needing.
Pitchers of Record
W:
Kevin Correia (5-4):
6 IP, 7 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 4 K. Correia got bailed out by his defense to avoid damage in the 1st, then cruised most of the rest of the way. He did give up three home runs in this game, though fortunately for the Twins they all came with nobody on.
L:
Wily Peralta (3-6):
5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 5 BB, 3 K. Peralta retired the first two men he faced, then walked the next 2 batters before giving up an RBI single. Walks tend to kill you, and those two put the Brewers at a disadvantage from the get go.
SV:
Glen Perkins (10):
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K. Perkins punched out the first two men he faced before Ron Roenicke decided to bring Ryan Braun in to pinch hit, and Perkins got Braun to line out to end the game.
Key Stats
- Joe Mauer (MIN): 1-3, HR (4), RBI, 3 R. Mauer's average is up to .339 for the year now, but he drew a couple big walks to start rallies for the Twins. His home run was also the first time I've been in attendance for a replay review. (Related note: Angel Hernandez was the 2nd base umpire today. Somehow they correctly ruled that the ball went over the yellow line for a home run like I saw from my seat and overturned what was originally ruled as a double. He's still an idiot though.)
- Milwaukee: Hit into 3 double plays. The first one came in the first inning after the Brewers loaded the bases with nobody out. Yuniesky Betancourt then lined to short, and Florimon threw to second to get the back end of the double play. Alex Gonzalez bounced into a double play in the 4th after Milwaukee got on the board to kill a tying chance, and the immortal Jeff Bianchi grounded into one in the 6th after the Brewers hit a couple more homers to kill a chance to tie the game. Those are killers.
- Carlos Gomez (MIL): 2-3, 2 HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 R. His first was a no-doubter to left center that I lost track of, and his second followed a Jean Segura homer a little short of where he hit the first one. The former Twin has been on a binge lately (I guess he homered twice on Saturday), and was a big reason why the Brewers were close in this one despite sitting several of their regulars.
Final Thoughts
This was the second baseball game I got my fiancee too this season; it was her first trip to Milwaukee for a game, raising her ballpark count to 3. Same for Arnie the Alpaca (pictured to the right). I think she kind of enjoyed the trip, and definitely enjoyed the food that Miller Park has to offer. She thought that "it was too easy to hit home runs" here, which may or may not be true; I haven't kept track of how many homers a game I've seen at Wrigley versus at Miller Park.
Either way, this was a fun game to get to (and I got to enjoy the WONC traffic bed in the 1st inning), and makes it 10 years running of trips to Milwaukee for ball games with my dad. Neither of these teams are likely to play more than 162 games this year, but either team could go on a little run of some sort. You never know.
