Minnesota Twins defeat Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 in rain-affected game – MLB Update
The Minnesota Twins defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2 helped by some good quality team-work at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday, July 1.
The game got underway almost two hours after scheduled time. The rain-delay turned out to be a blessing for the Twins as they started on a high note and ended likewise. The game did not have much to offer to the Brewers and the only moment of contentment
came when Ryan Braun extended his hitting streak to 21 in the top of the third inning.
The visitors opened scoring with in an aggressive style with Carlos Gomez belting one hit out of the field for his sixth home-run this season.
The Twins did not take this hit lightly and charged their assault without delay. Their first run came off Jim Thome’s bat and matched the Brewers’ effort. Jim Thome rocketed a 390-feet hit to level the scoring before Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer added a
run each to take a strong two-run lead.
Rickie Weeks showed some fight from the Milwaukee side in the third inning when he added a run but from there onwards, it was a walk in the park for the Minnesota Twins. Francisco Liriano, the Twins’ starter, raised his performance and pitched the next four
innings with substantial force. His arm strength proved to be too strong for the Brewers as they failed to manage a single hit after the third inning.
Liriano pitched for seven innings and struck-out seven batters against two runs and four hits. He is fast improving with 68 strike-outs this season. Joe Nathan played a vital supporting role and managed to hold his fourth game this season.
Yovani Gallardo was not so impressive for the Brewers. He had a bleak start, going for three runs in the opening inning and then another two in the fifth. His seven innings were flawed, not of any advantage to the Brewers and costing him his fifth loss of
the season. Zach Braddock and Latroy Hawkins were not efficient as relief pitchers either.
The Twins resumed their scoring in the fifth inning helped by Ben Revere and Alexi Casilla, taking the score to 5-2. Mauer added his second run of the game in the eighth inning to wrap-up things.
The rain delay got big on Gallardo and he expressed that he lost focus because of the two-hour delay. He said, "You have a mindset for a certain time, and the delay comes in and you get off your routine a little bit."
The Twins now have a crucial one-game lead in the three-game series. The next game between the two sides is scheduled for Saturday, July 2. The Brewers have had a good first half of the season and would want take that into the second half of the season as
well.
Tags: