Andrew Vaughn’s go-ahead RBI single with one out in the eighth inning led the host Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.
Vaughn smacked the first pitch he saw from Jeff Hoffman the other way into right field, scoring Brandon Lockridge from second base and breaking a 3-3 deadlock. Lockridge was pinch-running for William Contreras, who led the frame off with a single. Lockridge stole second base before Vaughn’s one-out single.
Aaron Ashby (13-2) earned the win after working a 1-2-3 top of the eighth. Trevor Megill needed only four pitches in the ninth to record his 21st save of the season.
Hoffman (6-8) was saddled with the loss, his first since being dealt to Minnesota from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline.
Brice Turang was 3-for-4 with two RBIs out of the leadoff spot for Milwaukee.
For the Twins, Royce Lewis had a single, double and two RBIs.
Twins starter Taj Bradley was erratic to start the game, allowing the first four Brewers to reach base and giving up the game’s first run when the right-hander hit Contreras with an 0-2 curveball.
The Minnesota offense responded in the second, working the bases loaded. Ryan Jeffers tied the game by drawing a run-scoring walk and Lewis’s two-run double in the next at-bat gave the Twins a 3-1 lead. The inning was sparked by Luke Keaschall’s leadoff ground-rule double against Brewers starter Robert Gasser.
After his first inning trouble, Bradley settled into the game, setting down 10 straight Milwaukee hitters after the Contreras hit-by-pitch. Vaughn snapped the streak with a one-out single in the fourth.
Vaughn’s base hit kicked off another Brewers rally. Christian Yelich followed it up with an infield single and David Hamilton drew a pinch-hit, two-out walk to fill the bases, before Turang tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run single into right-center.
Hamilton entered the game for third baseman Joey Ortiz, who was pulled with neck tightness, per the team.
Gasser was relieved by right-hander Chad Patrick with a runner on second and two outs in the fifth. Patrick got Keaschall to fly out to end the inning.
Neither starter factored into the decision. Gasser lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks, while Bradley struck out seven in five innings and also allowed three runs.
