Four separate lead changes and a tie that kept dissolving defined this one. Milwaukee built an early cushion, Minnesota clawed back and eventually the Twins made the last push stick, winning 8-6 at American Family Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 1 |
| MIL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
Josh Bell was at the center of it all, going 4-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBI. His 406-foot homer to left center in the third scored Jeffers and pulled the Twins within two, and he added a run-scoring groundout later that kept Minnesota's line moving. Royce Lewis chipped in a 2-for-5 night with a double and an RBI, and his sixth-inning double proved to be the one that stuck.
Milwaukee jumped out front early. Chourio's home run to center in the first put the Brewers up 0-1, and a second-inning error on Twins second baseman Lewis let Yelich score before Turang's double brought home Hamilton and Lara to make it 0-4. Minnesota answered with Bell's homer in the third and Culpepper's solo shot in the fourth, then tied it at 4-4 in the fourth when Martin doubled home Caratini. The game swung again in the fifth: Keaschall's single scored Lewis for a 5-4 lead, and Culpepper grounded into a double play that brought home Bell to make it 6-4. Milwaukee answered right back with Bauers' sacrifice fly and an infield single from Mitchell that scored Turang, tying it at 6-6. But in the sixth, Lewis doubled to left to score Jeffers, the go-ahead play that gave Minnesota a lead it would not relinquish, and Bell followed with a single to bring home Lewis for the 8-6 final margin.
Milwaukee starter Shane Drohan lasted 5.0 innings, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts, while Minnesota's Zebby Matthews matched him inning for inning, working 5.0 innings and allowing 6 runs, though only 3 were earned, on 7 hits. Matthews earned the win, improving to 5-8 with a 5.23 ERA. The Twins bullpen was airtight the rest of the way, with five relievers combining for 4.0 scoreless innings, while Milwaukee's relief corps allowed 2 runs over 4.0 innings. Yoendrys Gomez closed it out for his 16th save.
Minnesota won its second straight, improving to 58-59, while Milwaukee dropped to 72-44 and saw a one-game skid continue despite still sitting atop its division. The Brewers out-homered the Twins with three round-trippers to two, but it was Minnesota's balanced attack across five different innings that ultimately carried the day.