In a game between division leaders Tuesday, the Milwaukee Brewers wasted no time in jumping on the Minnesota Twins.
The National League Central leaders took a 2-0 lead on Andrew McCutchen’s two-run home run off Josh Winder in the first inning and never trailed on the way to a 6-3 victory in front of an announced crowd of 37,183 at Target Field.
The Twins got a solo home run from Jorge Polanco in the second, and the AL Central leaders tied the game 2-2 in the fourth on Nick Gordon’s two-out, RBI single. But Brewers No. 9 hitter Jonathan Davis hit a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth, and Willy Adames followed with a two-out, two-run home run for a 5-2 lead.
“They had a couple of big swings and put some runs on the board quickly with some homers, and we didn’t take advantage of the couple of opportunities we had with guys on base,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “(if) we hit a double in those situations, or put a ball out of the ballpark like they did, we’re in a lot better spot.”
The Twins were 2 for 5 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners.
After the Twins went down in order in their half of the fifth, a strong thunderstorm moved in to delay the game for a third time. The first delay lasted 29 minutes, the second eight minutes and the third 1 hour, 6 minutes before the game resumed at 9:55 p.m.
Making his sixth major league start, Winder (4-3) was charged with all five runs on four hits — including the McCutchen and Adames homers — and a pair of walks in five innings. He struck out two.
Jandel Gustav (2-0) pitched a scoreless fifth for the victory. Josh Hader pitched the ninth for Milwaukee to earn his major league-leading 27th save and end the Brewers’ two-game skid.
When the game resumed a third time, right-hander Trevor Megill took the mound for Minnesota and gave up a swinging bunt to leadoff hitter McCutchen. After moving to second on an errant pickoff throw by Megill, he scored on a two-out single off the right field wall by Jace Peterson to increase Milwaukee’s lead to 6-2.
Left-handed side-armer Hoby Milner started the sixth for Milwaukee and got Byron Buxton on a foul ball to right and a groundout from Max Kepler before loading the bases. Polanco singled, and Milner hit Alex Kirilloff and pinch-hitter Kyle Garlick. The next batter, Gio Urshela, drew the count to 3-1 before launching a long drive that landed about 20 feet to the wrong side of the foul pole in left before grounding out to short to end the inning.
The Twins put the two batters on in the seventh with one out against right-hander Brad Boxberger on a double by Luis Arraez and single by Carlos Correa. Buxton scored Arraez on a fielder’s choice grounder to cut the Twins’ deficit to 6-3. But Gilberto Celestino — a defensive replacement for Gordon — struck out to end the inning.
Major league batting leader Arraez went 1 for 4 with a walk and is hitting .347.
Jovani Moran and Emilio Pagan combined to throw 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief for the Twins. Pagan struck out the side in the ninth.
Max Kepler left the game after fouling a ball off his right ankle and was replaced in right field by Garlick. Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich was a late scratch because of tightness in his back.
The two-game interleague series continues Wednesday at 12:10 p.m.