The Minnesota Twins picked up an 8-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon but the bigger story was Byron Buxton’s departure due to a non-COVID-related illness.
Buxton hit a double in the first inning but was replaced by Brent Rooker in the top of the third. While the situation immediately reminded fans of Buxton’s injury history, the team announced that Buxton had left due to the illness and was day-to-day.
Despite Buxton’s absence, the Twins had more than enough firepower to take care of the Brewers.
Max Kepler drove in an RBI with a ground out in the first inning to put Minnesota on the board. After Manny Piña tied the game in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly, Mitch Garver hit his first home run of the season in the fifth to give the Twins a 2-1 lead.
𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗩𝗦𝗔𝗨𝗖𝗘!! 💣@MitchGarver // @Twins pic.twitter.com/1dEqxLklWe
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) April 4, 2021
Kepler extended the lead in the top of the sixth with a two-RBI single and Miguel Sano delivered a two-run homer to give the Twins a 6-1 advantage.
Miguel Sanó says…
💥 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 💥#MNTwins // @Twins pic.twitter.com/ikAo9sRWIE
— FanDuel Sports Network North (@FanDuelSN_NOR) April 4, 2021
Jackie Bradley Jr. cut into the lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth but the Twins scored two more runs in the top of the eighth. Andrelton Simmons drove in a run with a double and Nelson Cruz drove in Simmons with a sacrifice fly to set up the final 8-2 score.
Michael Pineda allowed one run over five innings to help the Twins take the three-game series.
The Twins (2-1) will travel to Detroit on Monday to open a three-game series with the Tigers. Monday’s first pitch is scheduled for 12:10.
