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I thought that every single Minnesota Twins player was going to hit at least one home run tonight. I really did. Okay, I didn't, but if I did think that then you couldn't really blame me. Chris Parmelee absolutely DESTROYED a breaking ball from Kyle Lohse, lifting it into Jim Thome territory in right field. That was in the third. In the fourth, Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer went back-to-back before, two batters later, Ryan Doumit lifted a two-run blast into the seats. The Twins scored again with one run in the fifth, but it wasn't a home run, so Mauer and his run-producing single should feel pretty terrible right now. We'd grown accustomed to better over the course of 30 minutes.
Unfortunately it wasn't all Twins all the time. P.J. Walters looked pretty unsolvable for most of the game, but the Brewers loaded the bases in the top of the sixth and Logan Schafer cleared them with a triple lined into the right-center field gap. Minnesota's lead was cut in half, to 6-3.
Both sides traded runs and certainly both sides could have scored more runs, but ultimately Minnesota's fast start carried them through and the Twins relievers did their jobs just well enough to ensure the victory. The result is a four-game winning streak, much needed after the last two weeks, and the Twins are once again within striking distance of .500 at 23-28.
ROLL CALL!
- kenzertz (61)
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- Walters saw runners in scoring position three times in the first five innings tonight, but turned the Brewers away on each occasion. Whatever he was doing, it was working.
- Milwaukee's big sixth inning all came with two outs already on the board.
- Chris Parmelee's home run was loud. But so was his single in the eighth.
- Joe Mauer struck out looking on what should have been ball four in the bottom of the seventh. The pitch was clearly five or six inches outside AND low. Mauer actually dropped his bat, repeatedly shaking his head and looking at the umpire saying "Nope. That was low." It was surprising to see Joe show a bit of emotion, because he really didn't like that call. Not surprising, however - he didn't swear. So it's still actually Joe. Not an impostor who homers and strikes out.
- Instead of pitching four days in a row, Gardy went with Jared Burton to get the save tonight. Nobody is surprised that Burton excelled.
- Josh Roenicke couldn't hit a strike zone the size of a barn tonight, but only surrendered a run (charged to Walters) off of a sac fly. Considering the bases were loaded for him (twice), it could have been a whole lot worse.
- Leading 8-6 in the bottom of the eighth, the Twins had the bases loaded with one out and were unable to score. Jamey Carroll laced a hard grounder that was fielded nicely by Yuniesky Betancourt, who threw home for the force. Dozier flew out to right field to end the threat.