Brewers 8, Twins 7 (F/10): Bullpen Blows Another Lead, Crew Wins in Extras

Box Score
Starting Pitcher: Kenta Maeda, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K (92 pitches, 59 strikes, 64.1%)
Home Runs: Royce Lewis (5), Michael A. Taylor (17), Kyle Farmer (7)
Bottom 3 WPA: Jhoan Duran (-.660), Emilio Pagan (-.146), Jordan Luplow  (-.146)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Starters struggle against the heat early
With a temperature of 97ºF at first pitch and heat index readings ranging from 107ºF to 112ºF, both teams knew it would be a tough afternoon at American Family Field – especially the pitchers. Both starters, Kenta Maeda and Corbin Burnes, had long first innings, and neither seemed comfortable on the mound.

Burnes needed 22 pitches to go through the top of the first. He gave up back-to-back singles to open the game against Edouard Julien and Donovan Solano, allowing Carlos Correa to drive in the first run with a sac fly. Max Kepler also got a single before the inning ended, but both runners finished stranded.

When Maeda took the mound, it was evident how much the heat and humidity affected the game. One rosin bag didn’t seem enough for him, who was applying it to his elbows. He struggled with his command, and the Brewers had two men on quickly, on a leadoff single by Christian Yelich and a walk by William Contreras. He retired the next two but hit Mark Canha to load them up to Andruw Monasterio. The rookie infielder singled to bring in two runners but got tagged out at second to end the busy first inning.

Twins’ bats show up!
Both hurlers settled in command-wise as both tossed scoreless frames in the second. But it was inevitable for the bats to take advantage of the hot weather, and both lineups exchanged punches in the third. Burnes retired the first two batters in the inning, but before he could finish the business, Correa connected for a single, and Royce Lewis followed with a two-run shot that put the Twins back ahead.

That lead didn’t last long. After a lengthy at-bat, Contreras smashed a leadoff home run to open the bottom of the third, and suddenly, the game was tied at 3-3. But this wouldn’t last much, either! Minnesota’s offense was back in business in the fourth, with Ryan Jeffers hitting a leadoff double and Kyle Farmer drawing a walk. Jordan Luplow grounded into a double play next, but before Burnes could escape the jam, Michael A. Taylor crushed a two-run jack to put the Twins back on top, 5-3. That was Taylor’s 17th home run of the season, and he’s now two shy of matching his single-season career high – he hit 19 for the Nationals in 2017.

Maeda finishes off strong and gets more run support
Judging by how he started this game, one could’ve imagined that Maeda’s outing would soon be over and a high-scoring one. But he proved doubters wrong. After giving up the game-tying home run in the third, he retired the next eight batters he saw to complete five. Maeda continues to be incredibly solid for Minnesota lately, with his second-half ERA now sitting at 2.91 after today’s start.

Shortly after Maeda departed the game, the offense added on to try and secure his fourth win of the season. After Burnes quickly retired the first two batters he faced in the sixth, Farmer crushed a solo shot to center to score Minnesota’s sixth run of the game. This represented the first time Burnes has given up at least three home runs in a game since May 22, and only the second time that happened this season.

The bullpen can’t hold on to the lead… again
The theme of Tuesday night’s loss was how Minnesota’s middle relief blew up the game. Today, as soon as Maeda departed the game, the story seemed to be headed the same way. Emilio Pagán took over in the sixth, lost Carlos Santana to a leadoff single, and then Willy Adames hit a two-run shot to cut down the Twins’ lead to one. Then, with Caleb Thielbar pitching in the seventh, the Crew tied the game with a Tyrone Taylor solo home run.

Milwaukee’s bullpen mostly dominated Twins pitching for the final three innings of regulation, but All-Star reliever Devin Williams pitched himself into a jam in the ninth. Jorge Polanco drew a leadoff walk, then a pitch hit Matt Wallner on the hand, and the Twins suddenly had two runners on with no outs. 

However, they failed to capitalize, as Williams retired the next three. Jhoan Durán came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth, and he managed to prevent the Brewers from scoring – despite a Yelich walk and subsequent stolen base – taking the game into extra innings.

Twins tumble their way into the lead… Only to lose it shortly afterward
Joey Gallo began the 10th inning on second base and would wind up scoring in dramatic fashion. After Correa worked a leadoff walk, Lewis grounded into a double play, sending Gallo to third with two outs. Kepler drew a walk to put more pressure on Elvis Peguero, and it worked. Jeffers hit a soft grounder towards third that Monasterio bobbled. Jeffers tumbled and fell before reaching first, but he crawled to the bag while Gallo scored to give Minnesota the lead.

But as was the case during this game, that lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the 10th, with Durán still on the mound, Milwaukee tied the game on a leadoff single by Adames that drove in ghost runner Carlos Santana. Adames reached third on a Monasterio flyout, and Brice Turang completed the rally with an RBI grounder that Lewis didn’t manage to throw to first in time.

What’s Next?
The Twins come back home on Thursday, where they’ll kick off a four-game set against the visiting Texas Rangers at Target Field. Pablo López (9-6, 3.51 ERA) is set to throw the game’s first pitch at 6:10 pm CDT, and he’ll be opposed by Andrew Heaney (9-6, 4.27 ERA).

Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet