Brewers sweep Twins with 8-7 win as Minnesota bullpen falters, offense can’t keep up

The Milwaukee Brewers did something no other team this season has been able to do to the Twins.

The Twins’ stingy bullpen, which began the day allowing the second-fewest home runs in the American League, was victimized in each of the final three innings on Sunday, the first time this year that the bullpen has allowed a trio of homers. The Twins had three homers of their own, but Milwaukee rode its strength to an 8-7 victory at Target Field and a sweep of the two-game series.

Byron Buxton hit two home runs and Trevor Larnach once, and Max Kepler and Carlos Santana both came close to tying the game against former Twin Trevor Megill in the ninth inning, keeping the tension high in a large and raucous crowd of 36,327. But Megill struck out Matt Wallner to preserve Milwaukee’s third win in four meetings with the Twins this year.

SCOREBOARD: Milwaukee 8, Twins 7

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And Eric Haase hit a homerun in the ninth inning against Caleb Thielbar, his second of the game.

It was a frustrating outcome for Joe Ryan, who had appeared dominant through the first four innings. However, the only hit he allowed in that span landed four rows up in the left-field stands, courtesy of Haase and a middle-of-the-plate sweeper.

But Ryan faced a dozen more batters in the fifth and sixth innings, and half of them hit. Four singles and a double drove in three Milwaukee runs and gave the Brewers their first lead. Ryan stranded Willy Adames on a leadoff double in the sixth, but he failed to provide a good start for the fifth consecutive time.