Minnesota @ Milwaukee preview
Miller Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 3, 2018 ) Minnesota 0, Milwaukee 2
The Milwaukee Brewers might have mixed emotions Wednesday, knowing it’s the last time this season they’ll face the Minnesota Twins. The Brewers have won four of five meetings in the season series, which wraps up when Milwaukee tries to complete a three-game sweep of the visiting Twins.
Milwaukee continued its dominance over Minnesota with a 2-0 win Tuesday, becoming the first National League team to reach 50 wins and maintaining a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. The win clinched a series victory for the Brewers, who had split their previous four sets. The Twins have lost 10 of their last 12 games and have just one win on their nine-game road trip that wraps up Wednesday. Minnesota managed only two hits Tuesday, wasting a strong pitching performance from a staff that has struggled to produce them of late – the Twins had allowed six or more runs in nine of their previous 11 contests.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FS North (Minnesota), FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), Dish455 (Milwaukee)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Jose Berrios (8-6, 3.52 ERA) vs. Brewers RH Chase Anderson (6-6, 4.18)
Berrios is coming off his worst outing of the season after allowing six runs over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Cubs on Friday. The 24-year-old had permitted a total of four runs in his previous four starts and had posted quality starts in seven of his previous eight outings. Berrios has struggled on the road, where he’s 2-4 with a 4.93 ERA in seven starts.
Anderson hasn’t lived up to the expectations created by last year’s breakout campaign, but he showed signs of coming around in June. The 30-year-old has allowed one run or fewer and two or fewer hits in three of his last four starts, including a win at Cincinnati on Friday in which he gave up one run and two hits over six innings. Anderson hasn’t pitched well at home this season, going 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA in nine starts after he was 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA at Miller Park a year ago.
WALK-OFFS
1. Milwaukee has homered in nine consecutive games for the first time since last August and has slugged 14 homers during the streak.
2. Twins SS Jorge Polanco was 1-for-4 with a double Tuesday and is 1-for-8 since returning from an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
3. Brewers SS Brad Miller is 10-for-28 during an eight-game hitting streak and has hit safely in nine of 11 games since joining the club.
PREDICTION: Twins 5, Brewers 4