Twins top Brewers 2-0 with strong Albers start, Donaldson HR

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Josh Donaldson's two-run home run in the first inning for Minnesota stood up for well-traveled starter Andrew Albers, and the Twins beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 on Friday.

Albers (1-0) threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his first major league start in four seasons, limiting the first-place Brewers to three hits and one walk. The 35-year-old Canadian left-hander was promoted last week from Triple-A as yet another reinforcement for a depleted Twins pitching staff after three years in Japan.

The Brewers, whose NL Central lead over Cincinnati was shaved to 7 1/2 games, had their baseball-best road record fall to 42-22.

Brewers starter Eric Lauer (4-5) needed 102 pitches for 4 2/3 innings, surrendering six hits and two walks. He had two of his six strikeouts with the bases loaded in the second inning, but the two-out line drive into the left field bleachers for Donaldson's 20th homer loomed over the rest of the night.

Relievers Jorge Alcala, Danny Coulombe and Tyler Duffey picked up where Albers left off, with four of their eight outs by strikeout. When Duffey got Avisaíl García looking at a curveball to end the eighth with one runner on, García argued the call by home plate umpire Brian Gorman and was ejected. Alex Colomé pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save, striking out two.

The outlook for these teams has shifted hard since the season-opening series in Milwaukee, when the two-time defending AL Central champion Twins were one out away from a sweep. After losing the first game in 10 innings, when the Brewers rallied for three runs in the ninth, the Twins bounced back to win the next two games. They've produced little resiliency since.

With Kenta Maeda and Michael Pineda currently on the injured list, and Maeda set for season-ending elbow...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Twins-top-Brewers-2-0-with-strong-Albers-start-16418011.php