Swept by the Twins, Brewers' losing streak stretches to six games
MINNEAPOLIS -- The struggles continue, seemingly with no end in sight, for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Another listless offensive performance, save for a pair of second-inning home runs, and a sketchy defensive fourth inning were the primary culprits in a 4-2 setback to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday afternoon that stretched the Brewers' losing streak to a season-high-tying six games.
Brian Anderson and Luis Urías authored the homers, but it was also Anderson who also should have made a couple catches in right field on consecutive plays that opened the door to the decisive four-run fourth that sunk starter Colin Rea and Milwaukee.
The Brewers also lost six straight games from April 30-May 6.
Now they'll return home after this sweep at the hands of the Twins at 34-34 and with the resurgent -- and first-place -- Pittsburgh Pirates coming in for a weekend set at American Family Field.
Things got off to a better start for the Brewers following Tuesday's disastrous 7-5 walk-off loss as Anderson and Urías homered off Twins right-hander Bailey Ober in a five-pitch span in the second.
Box score:; Twins 4, Brewers 2
It was the third time this season the Brewers went back to back and first time since April 3. It was also the first homer of the year for Urías, who has struggled mightily since returning from the injured list.
The timing of the homers could have been better, however -- Milwaukee wasted a pair of first-inning singles and then a two-out Christian Yelich double in the second.
Rea, who'd worked around baserunners in the first two innings, allowed a pair with one out in the third on a double and walk but got to within a couple strikes of again emerging unscathed when he left a pitch out over the plate for Carlos Correa.
The author of the walk-off homer on Tuesday, Correa this time drilled a two-run triple off the wall in right to tie it at 2-2.
He scored a batter later when Trevor Larnach doubled off the wall in right on a play that Anderson could have made.
Then, in true baseball fashion, the ball found right field again as Joey Gallo followed with a routine pop fly to short right that neither Anderson nor Owen Miller took charge on, allowing it to fall between them for a run-scoring single.
It appeared as though Gallo wound up with a cheap double, but the Brewers successfully challenged the play. Gallo was called out at second but the run scored, leaving it a 4-2 game.
Rea faced one over the minimum his final two innings and departed having allowed five hits, four runs and three walks with four strikeouts over 90 pitches.
Ober mostly coasted through the rest of his six-inning start, facing only two batters over the minimum and Brock Stewart continued the dominance by striking out the side -- including Raimel Tapia in his Brewers debut -- in the seventh.
Minnesota pitchers faced one batter over the minimum from the third inning on.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Swept by the Twins, Brewers' losing streak stretches to six games
