MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Scooter Gennett hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Minnesota 6-5 Tuesday, ending the Twins’ four-game winning streak.
Moments after the Brewers gave up a three-run lead in the eighth,Yadiel Rivera led off the ninth with a double against Kevin Jepsen(0-3) and got to third on an error by center fielder Byron Buxton. Gennett followed with his second hit of the game to help the Brewers snap a three-game skid.
Jeremy Jeffress picked up his fifth save in five tries.
Byung Ho Park and Eddie Rosario hit home runs in the Twins eighth off Tyler Thornburg (2-0) to tie it at 5. But Minnesota missed several opportunities early in the game against Wily Peralta.
Ryan Braun had two hits and an RBI, Chris Carter drove in two runs and Colin Walsh had his first career hit for the Brewers.
Peralta gave up two runs on five hits and walked four in five innings.
Twins starter Ervin Santana allowed five runs – two earned – on five hits with three walks in five innings.
Thornburg was off to a sterling start for the Brewers this season. He had not allowed a run in five appearances and was holding opposing hitters to a .118 batting average.
But Park drove a pitch into the second deck in left field to make it 5-3 and Rosario came off the bench one batter later to hit a two-run shot to center field to tie the game.
Peralta came into the game with a 10.13 ERA and opponents were hitting .385. He was shaky in the first two innings and twice appeared to be on the brink of getting knocked out of the game, but the Twins couldn’t land the big punch.
The Twins loaded the bases three times in the first two innings, but only had two runs to show for it thanks to a double play from Miguel Sano and a groundout from Eduardo Nunez. Peralta settled down after that, retiring 10 straight while the Brewers chipped away at Santana.
The Twins right-hander was hardly recognizable when he took the mound without the braids that have become so familiar for him over the years. He was visibly frustrated in the fifth when Sano’s error in right field led to a three-run inning for the Brewers.
Jonathan Lucroy had an RBI double in the inning and scored on a passed ball against catcher John Ryan Murphy to make it 5-2.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: Put 3B Trevor Plouffe on the 15-day disabled list with a right intercostal strain. INF Jorge Polanco was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to take Plouffe’s roster spot.
UP NEXT
The series shifts to Milwaukee, where the Twins will send LHP Tommy Milone (0-1, 5.06) to the mound to face RHPJimmy Nelson (2-1, 2.79). Milone has given up multiple homers in both of his starts this season. Opponents are hitting just .176 against Nelson this season.
