MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Miguel Sanó drove in a pair of runs and the Minnesota Twins outlasted the rain and the Milwaukee Brewers for a 6-4 victory Saturday night.
After Minnesota saw its 4-0 lead disappear, the Twins went back up 5-4 in the sixth inning when Andrelton Simmons hit into a double play that drove in Sanó. Josh Donaldson had an RBI double in the seventh.
“We try to stay positive,” Sanó said. “We never put our head down. We try to win the game all the time.”
Luis Urias nearly tied it in the eighth, but his deep drive to left went just foul. He struck out to end the inning.
Rain fell on and off throughout the game, but never caused a stoppage in play. It fell heaviest during the bottom of the eighth.
“It was questionable even before the game started,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of the rain. “We had to meet and make some decisions knowing that there was a lot of rain coming our way. I'm glad we battled through it.”
Caleb Thielbar (6-0) threw two scoreless innings in relief to get the win.
It’s the first time the Brewers have lost three consecutive games since before the All-Star break, when Milwaukee dropped three straight against Cincinnati July 9-11.
“We lost three in a row, but I feel like every team goes through that little bit of adversity,” Milwaukee third baseman Jace Peterson said. “They might have won the series, but we can get the win tomorrow and put ourselves back in good position.”
Sanó drove in the game’s first two runs with a double off Adrian Houser (7-6). Simmons was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Luis Arraez drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Twins a 4-0 lead.
Milwaukee tied it in the third, thanks in part to a defensive miscue by Sanó that allowed the tying run to score. The Brewers didn't manage an extra-base hit in Saturday's loss.
“We put together a good inning, but that's a tough way to win games in the league,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “At some point, you've got to have some damage. We just didn't have it.”
Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy was ejected before the start of Saturday’s game when he got into an argument while he was delivering the lineup card. Rowdy Tellez was also tossed in the fifth inning after arguing his inning-ending strikeout.
MAEDA SURGERY
Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda is expecting to have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow next Wednesday.
“Tough season throughout,” Maeda said Saturday through a translator. “When I was informed of a possibility of surgery to fix this issue, I was really surprised and a little sad to hear, to be honest.”
Maeda went 6-5 with a 4.66 ERA in 21 starts this season with the Twins. He joined Minnesota last year and was 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts during the shortened season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: Willy Adames returned to the lineup Saturday after missing several days with a quad injury. He was Milwaukee’s designated hitter and batted second. ... Lorenzo Cain was momentarily attended to by a trainer in center field in the fourth inning, but remained in the game.
Twins: RHP Michael Pineda (left oblique strain) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Saturday. ... RHP Randy Dobnak (right middle finger strain) will throw a bullpen Sunday. Baldelli said Dobnak’s next outing could be at the big league level.
UP NEXT
LHP Aaron Ashby (0-0, 4.15 ERA) will take the mound for Milwaukee in Sunday’s series finale. Ashby is making his fourth career start and his first in more than two weeks. Minnesota will counter with RHP Griffin Jax (3-2, 6.29 ERA), who gave up nine runs in his last outing against Boston.
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