The Twins needed this one for plenty of reasons.
They were already sitting just a half-game out of the final American League Wild Card spot, so every inning carried weight. Then there was the added buzz of Kaelen Culpepper joining the 26-man roster. And with Joe Ryan on the 10-day injured list, Zebby Mathews was back in the rotation trying to finish his season strong.
The start, though, was ugly. Milwaukee jumped on Mathews right away after the Twins had opened the game with a walk, a stolen base and a single that came to nothing.
Brice Turang struck out, then Jackson Chourio turned the next pitch into a solo homer and a 1-0 Brewers lead. The inning got worse from there.
Christian Yelich singled, Luis Lara walked, and a Royce Lewis fielding error let David Hamilton reach and brought Yelich home. Turang followed with a two-run double that scored Lara and Hamilton, and just like that Milwaukee had a 4-0 cushion before Chourio grounded out to end the frame.
Minnesota didn’t stay down for long. Josh Bell answered in the third with a two-out, two-run homer that scored himself and Ryan Jeffers. Bell finished 4-for-5 and kept pushing through a midseason slump that had hung over him for weeks.
Mathews settled in after the rough first inning and started giving the Twins a chance to breathe. The offense took over from there.
Culpepper, in his second at-bat, launched his first big league home run to trim the deficit to 4-3. Then Austin Martin doubled and drove in Victor Caratini, though Ryan Kreidler was thrown out at the plate.
Even with that out, Minnesota had pulled even at 4-4.
The back-and-forth kept coming in the fifth. A run-scoring string of singles put the Twins in front 6-4, but Milwaukee answered immediately.
The Brewers loaded the bases with nobody out, then brought one home on a sacrifice fly to Martin. Garrett Mitchell then reached on a ground ball to Culpepper, who was slow getting the ball to first, and that play tied it at 6-6.
Mathews escaped with his fourth strikeout of the game.
Minnesota hit right back. With two outs, Jeffers doubled for his 10th of the season.
Lewis followed with another double to score him, and Bell kept the line moving with a sharp double of his own that brought Lewis home. That gave the Twins an 8-6 lead, their fourth straight inning with a two-run burst.
Mathews didn’t make it out for the sixth. He left after developing a blister on his foot, and Tommy Nance took over. Nance allowed a leadoff single but got the next two outs before AJ Minter came in to face left-handed Brice Turang, who struck out to end the inning.
From there, the bullpen closed the door. Jeff Hoffman handled the seventh, Andrew Morris worked the eighth, and Yoendrys Gomez picked up his 16th save in the ninth as the Twins opened the series with a win.
Mathews finished with 5 innings, 6 hits, 6 earned runs, 2 walks and 4 strikeouts on 83 pitches, 50 of them strikes.
The Twins will be back Saturday night at 6:10, with Taj Bradley set to face Robert Gasser. Minnesota remains a half-game behind the Texas Rangers in the chase for the final Wild Card spot after the Rangers also won Friday.
In Other News...
Twins Turn To Kaelen Culpepper As Shortstop Pressure Builds
The Twins are getting a closer look at one of their most promising young infielders, as Kaelen Culpepper has earned a promotion to the big leagues after a strong run at Triple-A St. Paul. Drafted in the first round last year, Culpepper has shown the kind of power and speed that made him one of the organizations most intriguing prospects, and his rise comes at a time when Minnesota is trying to steady a position that has become increasingly important in the stretch run.
His arrival also gives the Twins a timely option as they head into a key series, where lineup construction and matchups can start to carry extra weight. For a club looking for help at shortstop, Culpeppers call-up adds both intrigue and urgency, and it will now be worth watching how quickly he gets pushed into the mix once the games start to matter even more. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Offensive Slump Is Forcing A Roster Move Fans Can Feel
The Twins entered the second half with the kind of lineup that looked built to keep the pressure on the rest of the American League, but the offense has gone quiet since the All-Star break. Even after the front office spent the trade deadline adding several pitchers, the biggest issue in Minnesota has been the one thing those moves could not solve: run production, with too many regulars underperforming at a time when the club needs steady bats.
That is why the conversation around the roster keeps turning to the farm system, where the next obvious offensive help appears to be waiting. With Byron Buxton still working back from injury and no clear return date in sight, the Twins are staring at a stretch where the easiest way to jolt the lineup may be to lean on young talent already knocking on the door and make a move fans can feel. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Made A Trade Choice Fans Will Debate Into October
The Twins spent their deadline capital on the mound, leaning into an obvious area of need by adding A.J. Minter, Dean Kremer and Jeff Hoffman. It was a clear message about where the front office believed the biggest problems sat, with bullpen depth and rotation help getting the nod over a lineup upgrade.
Jo Adell fit the kind of bat Minnesota could have used, especially with his track record against left-handed pitching, but the choice was made to pass and keep building around pitching. If the Twins reach October with the offense still searching for that extra punch in certain matchups, this will be the move fans keep revisiting, because the upside they sacrificed is the sort of thing that can linger long after the deadline dust settles. [Read more 🡒]