Bell, Lewis Gut Milwaukee in the Sixth, Twins Win 8-6
Josh Bell went 4-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBI as Minnesota erased a four-run deficit to beat Milwaukee 8-6 on Friday. The Twins scored three times in the sixth inning alone, turning what looked like a Milwaukee comeback story into a road win.
Milwaukee came out swinging. Jackson Chourio launched a 423-foot shot to center in the first, and the Brewers piled on in the second — a fielding error by second baseman Royce Lewis let a run in, and then Brice Turang doubled to right to score two more, pushing Milwaukee to a 4-0 lead before Minnesota had even gotten on the board. The Brewers' starter was sharp early: three innings, one hit, zero runs, zero walks.
Then the Twins started chipping. Bell hit a two-run homer to left center — 406 feet — in the third to make it 4-2. Kaelen Culpepper added a solo shot to center (390 feet) in the fourth, and a Martin double tied it at 4. Minnesota took the lead for good in the fifth on a Keaschall single, then Bell scored on a Culpepper groundout double play — a productive out that looks like the kind of small-ball execution that wins road games. Milwaukee answered immediately, pulling even at 6 on a Turang run and a Mitchell infield single, and the fifth inning alone featured five lead changes and a tie. Shane Drohan, who had replaced the Brewers' opener, allowed 9 hits and 6 earned runs across 5 innings — that line tells the story of why Milwaukee couldn't hold any of its advantages.
The decisive blow came in the sixth. Lewis doubled to left, scoring Jeffers, and the win probability swung from 62% in Milwaukee's favor all the way down to 46% on that single swing of the bat. Bell followed with a single to left, scoring Lewis, and just like that it was 8-6 Minnesota. The Twins didn't need anything more. Bell finished 4-for-5 with a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored — the story of the night was a veteran first baseman refusing to let a four-run hole become a loss. Lewis added 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored and the RBI double that broke Milwaukee's back. Minnesota's bullpen held the line from there, and the Twins walked out of Milwaukee with a two-run road win.