Aguilar Homers Twice As Brewers Beat Twins 8-3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jesus Aguilar homered twice and Ji-Man Choi hit a solo home run in his return to the majors as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 8-3 on Friday night.
Brent Suter (3-3) pitched a season-high 5 2/3 innings for Milwaukee, which has won six of its past eight games. The left-hander allowed one run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts.
Kyle Gibson (1-2) gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings for Minnesota, which has lost four of five. Gibson surrendered eight hits and walked four batters. Max Kepler had two hits, including a two-run home run.
First baseman Joe Mauer was pulled from the game in the fifth inning with neck tightness and is considered day to day.
Aguilar has become the Brewers' regular first baseman with Eric Thames and Ryan Braun on the disabled list. The burly 250-pound Aguilar hit 16 home runs in 133 games for Milwaukee last season and had his third career multi-homer game on Friday. He has five home runs in 91 at-bats this season.
Choi is also getting his chance with Braun on the shelf due to a back injury. Braun was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Thursday and Choi was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs before Friday's game.
Choi took a Gibson pitch deep to the bullpens in left-center field in the second inning to open the scoring.
Aguilar hit a towering two-run shot to the second deck in left field an inning later and then hit a solo homer off the foul pole in left in the seventh.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Brewers: RHP Zach Davies (right rotator cuff inflammation) will make a rehab start on Saturday at Single-A Wisconsin. . RHP Jimmy Nelson (right shoulder surgery) had a checkup with doctors, who ensured his shoulder is healing properly. Nelson will take 10 days off from throwing before restarting his rehab.
Twins: 3B Miguel Sano (left hamstring strain) had a good workout before the game and manager Paul Molitor said a rehab assignment for Sano could be "imminent."
RHP Ervin Santana (finger surgery) is set to make a rehab start in extended spring training on Monday and could make a minor league rehab start five days later. . RHP Trevor May (Tommy John surgery) made his first rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Thursday and pitched four innings, allowing one run on four hits, two walks and notching five strikeouts.
UP NEXT
Two rookie right-handers meet up in the second game of the series on Saturday evening as Freddy Peralta (1-0, 0.00 ERA) tries to follow up his 13-strikeout debut for Milwaukee. Peralta allowed no hits into the sixth inning to beat Colorado. Minnesota's Fernando Romero (2-0, 0.54) has allowed one run in 16 2/3 innings in his first three career starts.
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
