Minnesota Twins vs Milwaukee Brewers Box Score on Jul 03, 2018

Eric Thames hit a two-run home run and Junior Guerra, Josh Hader and Corey Knebel combined for a two-hitter as the host Milwaukee Brewers blanked the Minnesota Twins, 2-0, on Tuesday afternoon at Miller Park.

Thames had two hits as Milwaukee became the first team in the National League to hit the 50-win mark. The Brewers won despite managing just four hits and striking out 16 times in 28 at-bats.

Guerra (5-5) pitched five shutout innings, giving up just two hits and walking three while striking out eight. Left-hander Hader then came on and pitched a season-high three innings, allowing just a walk while striking out two for his 14th hold of the season. Corey Knebel struck out the side in the ninth to garner his ninth save.

It was the fifth straight loss for Minnesota, which has also dropped seven of its last eight games.

Jake Odorizzi (3-6) took the loss for Minnesota despite allowing just four hits and two runs in five innings, walking four and striking out nine. Ryan Pressly and Gabriel Moya combined for seven strikeouts and retired all nine Brewers they faced in three innings of relief of Odorizzi.

Guerra and Odorizzi were both working on two-hit shutouts until the bottom of the fifth, when the Brewers finally broke through. Nate Orf, pinch-hitting for Guerra, walked to start the inning and then stole second as Brad Miller struck out on a 3-2 pitch. Thames followed with his third homer in six games and 12th of the season, a line drive over the right field fence to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

Milwaukee had a chance to add on later in the inning when Travis Shaw lined a two-out single to left and then went to second after left fielder Eddie Rosario bobbled the ball for an error. But Odorizzi got out of the inning by getting Ryan Braun to line out to left.

The Twins' best scoring chance came in the first inning, when Jorge Polanco lined a one-out double to right and Rosario and Eduardo Escobar followed with walks to load the bases. But Guerra then got Max Kepler to pop out to short and Willians Astudillo to line out to the gap in left-center, where Keon Broxton ran it down to end the threat.

--Field Level Media