Rosario scores on balk, Twins beat Brewers 5-4

MINNEAPOLIS -- Eddie Rosario doubled home the tying run in the seventh inning and scored the winning run on a balk as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 on Monday.

After Eduardo Escobar drew a leadoff walk, Rosario hit a smash to right field that fooled Domingo Santana, who took two steps in before watching the ball sail over his head. Escobar scored to tie the game at 4.

Rosario was still at third with two out when the Brewers employed a dramatic shift on left-handed hitting Jason Castro. With no fielder near third base to hold him on, Rosario danced halfway down the baseline, causing reliever Oliver Drake (3-4) to step off the rubber and look Rosario back.

When Drake stepped back on the rubber, Rosario made another break for home. This time Drake flinched and home plate umpire Bill Welke called a balk, sending Rosario home.

Buddy Boshers (1-0) retired one batter in the seventh to earn the victory in relief of starter Ervin Santana. Matt Belisle pitched the ninth to earn his second save in as many days for the Twins, who traded All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler to the Washington Nationals on July 31.

Keon Broxton homered, doubled and drove in two runs for the Brewers, who entered the game a half-game behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central.

Broxton started the scoring with his 15th home run in the third. He turned on a hanging slider from Santana and hit it deep into the second deck in left.

Santana, who represented the Twins at the All-Star Game last month, has given up a home run in seven consecutive starts.

Shortstop Jorge Polanco, whose two-out error in the third led to two unearned runs, had a career-high four hits, including a two-run double in the fourth that got the Twins within 4-3.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: After leaving the game Sunday with a bruised right wrist from being hit by a pitch, RF Domingo Santana felt good enough to return to the lineup.

Twins: 3B Miguel Sano was held out again with a sore left hand from being hit by pitches. An MRI exam showed no damage. "You get hit multiple times in the same area in your hand, it has a chance to linger a little bit," manager Paul Molitor said.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Matt Garza (5-5, 3.68) takes the mound in the second game of a four-game series in Minnesota. The Twins' first-round pick in the 2005 MLB draft is 2-2 in five career starts against his former team. Garza pitched 5 2/3 innings and earned the win in a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals on Aug. 3.

Twins: LHP Adalberto Mejia (4-5, 4.30) has battled high pitch counts as a rookie, and it's cost him a chance to pitch deeper into games. He was pulled after 90-plus pitches in each of his last three starts despite not pitching into the sixth inning in any of them.