On upswing, Twins set sights on surging Brewers

The Minnesota Twins hope their next-door neighbors fare a lot better than their next-state neighbors on Friday night.

The Twins moved up the starting time of their game Friday evening as a favor to the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, whose arena is across the street from the ballpark in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves will tip off later Friday in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs.

As for their border rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Twins hope to spoil their night.

The Brewers and Twins will open a three-game weekend slate that typically ranks among the most spirited series of the season in Minneapolis. The Wisconsin border only is about a half-hour from the Twin Cities, and Brewers fans often show up in force whenever the teams meet in Minnesota as part of the interleague rivalry.

This year, at least on paper, the Brewers are the favorites.

Milwaukee has won six of its past seven games, including a 7-1 drubbing of the San Diego Padres on Thursday, to improve to a season-high seven games above .500.

The Brewers have relied on a balanced approach from the lineup, the rotation and the bullpen, and they have overcome early-season injuries to key players such as Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich and Andrew Vaughn.

"We don't really get hung up on one game," Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison said. "I think it's more the mindset of never giving up. Just work relentlessly, and when game time comes, let's go out and compete."

The Twins have not matched the Brewers' success through the first quarter of the season, but they have played much better in the past few days.

Minnesota is coming off a series win over the Miami Marlins that included a 9-1 victory on Thursday afternoon. The Twins have won four of their past five games after losing 16 of their previous 21.

Part of the reason for the Twins' recent success has been the emergence of less heralded players. On Thursday, James Outman capitalized on a rare chance to start by going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.

How does he stay sharp when his playing time is so intermittent?

"Just listening to my teammates, asking questions, listening to hitting coaches," he said. "They're all really good. (I'm) watching their at bats ... trying to get information wherever I can."

Outman could get more opportunities after the Twins sent fellow outfielder Matt Wallner to Triple-A Saint Paul on Thursday. Wallner was hitting .167 and sported a .292 slugging percentage through his first 34 games.

Twins outfielder Byron Buxton also is a question mark after he was a late scratch Thursday because of hip soreness. Buxton leads the team with 15 home runs.

Yelich's status also is unknown for the series opener for Milwaukee. He sat out the past two games because of tightness in his back.

"He felt much better (Thursday)," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "We'll find out a lot more (Friday). I think (Friday) will be kind of a telling tale whether he needs a longer break."

Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (2-3, 3.43 ERA) will start on Friday. He is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in four career starts against the Brewers, who have not announced a starter for the series opener.

--Field Level Media