MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joey Ortiz hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the 12th inning after hustling home for the go-ahead run in the 11th, giving the Milwaukee Brewers a spark out of the All-Star break in an 8-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.
Jackson Chourio had two RBIs on three singles and Brice Turang padded the lead in the five-run 12th with a two-run single for the Brewers, who finally finished the job long after starter Freddy Peralta’s six shutout innings.
Carlos Santana crushed a two-out, two-strike slider from Jakob Junis (2-0) for the tying two-run homer for the Twins in the 11th — off his most recent former team — after the Brewers scored twice in that inning.
Steven Okert (3-1) stumbled through the 12th inning to take the loss. Jake Bauers popped up his bunt up the third-base line, but as Okert approached the dropping ball he realized he couldn’t catch it and, instead of letting it drift foul, touched it too soon. He had no play as he stumbled toward third and the Brewers loaded the bases with none out to start their romp.
Ortiz, the automatic runner in the 11th, took third on a wild pitch and scored with a head-first dive to beat the tag after Twins second baseman Austin Martin double-clutched his throw following a chopper that bounced right to his glove.
Willi Castro, fresh off his first All-Star Game selection, doubled in the eighth inning for the Twins and scored the tying run with a headfirst dive on an infield-in chopper.
After so many years of midweek matchups against their closest opponent on the map, the Twins finally landed a weekend series against the Brewers — albeit for just two games in Major League Baseball’s current scheduling format that will next season expand the interleague rivalries to a three-game set hosted by each side.
With classic midsummer weather and more standing room space than when the ballpark opened in 2010, the announced crowd of 41,679 fans was the largest for a regular-season game in Target Field history.
The Brewers (56-42) have held first place in the NL Central for 103 consecutive days, despite losing seven of their last 10 games going into the break. They have a five-game lead on St. Louis.
The Twins (54-43) stayed five games behind the game with a five-game deficit in the AL Central behind Cleveland. They hold the second of three wild card spots.
Twins starter Pablo López had seven strikeouts in seven innings with four hits, one walk and one run allowed. He finished seven innings for just the fourth time in 20 starts.
The Twins brought back second baseman Edouard Julien to help fill the infield void with shortstop Carlos Correa going on the injured list with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, and after more than six weeks in Triple-A he shined with his glove with a couple of slick pickups of screaming grounders in his return and also produced the first hit off Peralta with a single in the third inning.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers RHP Devin Williams (back) was scheduled to pitch in relief for Triple-A Nashville in continuation of his rehabilitation assignment. The two-time All-Star closer has been sidelined all season.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Aaron Civale (2-7, 4.94 ERA) takes the mound on Sunday afternoon. In his start at Target Field for Tampa Bay on June 18, Civale allowed the Twins seven hits, four runs and two walks in 3 2/3 innings. He was acquired by Milwaukee in a trade July 3.
Twins: RHP Joe Ryan (6-6, 3.53 ERA) pitches the series finale. He’s 3-0 in his last four home starts.
