MILWAUKEE -- There's little question Miller Park is a hitter-friendly yard conducive to home runs flying over the fence.
For years, Milwaukee took advantage of its home park. But such has not been the case of late, as the Brewers have been hurt by the home run at home much more so than they've been aided.
The Brewers temporarily bucked that trend Sunday.
Ryan Braun and Adam Lind blasted two-run home runs in the eighth inning to give Milwaukee a 5-3 victory and a series win over the Minnesota Twins.
"It doesn't matter how you win it, it just matters that you win," Braun said. "Obviously, we haven't won many games at all, especially at home, so it's nice to get back on the winning side of things."
Entering Sunday, the Brewers had been outhomered, 67-38, at Miller Park this season. To put in perspective just how many home runs Milwaukee has allowed at home this season, the Colorado Rockies have surrendered the second-most big flies at home at 49.
Home run differential at home has played a role in Milwaukee having the worst home record in baseball at 15-26.
"I understand the discrepancy is huge this year," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "You are not going to win like that. It is not sustainable in any way."
But Counsell doesn't feel the home run differential has much to do with home versus away as it does with the simple fact that the Brewers haven't pitched well or hit well all season.
"I'm not going to argue with what the numbers say, because they are telling the truth," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said prior to Sunday's game. "But I don't think (it is a home-road thing). The pitches are mistakes. Mistakes get hit far.
"Are we making more mistakes at home than we are on the road? Yeah, that's true. Are some balls staying in the ballpark on the road that wouldn't here? Yeah, there's probably some.
"We've had plenty of years where we've pitched better in this park than we have on the road. It is not a consistent thing that's been the history of this ballpark. As an offensive unit are we homering less? Yeah, that's true. That plays a part in the gap, too."
On Sunday, the Brewers won due to late home runs.
In a 1-all game, Jonathan Lucroy led off the eighth by drawing a seven-pitch walk from Twins reliever Casey Fien. Braun followed with a towering, 433-foot shot to left-center field to put the Brewers ahead 3-1.
It was Braun's team-leading 15th home run of the season but just his second in the seventh inning or later with the Brewers tied, ahead by one or with the tying run at least on deck.
After Carlos Gomez singled and stole second base, Lind snuck a 3-2 pitch from Fien over the left-field fence for his 11th home run of the season, putting Milwaukee in front at 5-1.
Lind's home run turned out to be the difference in the game, as closer Francisco Rodriguez surrendered a two-run home run to Twins right fielder Torii Hunter before recording an out in the ninth. Minnesota had the go-ahead run at the plate when Rodriguez struck second baseman Brian Dozier out looking to end the game.
"I thought Frankie pitched well," Counsell said. "I thought Hunter went on the check swing. Infield hit, blooper -- I thought he pitched well."
The Brewers have now won three series at Miller Park this season. Two of those series wins came this week, as Milwaukee took two of three from the New York Mets prior to doing the same against Minnesota.
"You still want to win," Braun said. "You always want to win. There's still three months of baseball left, and I think we've gotten to a point where we need to get back to wanting to win, to feeling like we're going to win, to showing up and feeling like we have a legitimate chance to win. Winning is something that's learned as a team, just like hitting, pitching, defense and baserunning is."
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