MILWAUKEE 8, MINNESOTA 5 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Wednesday, June 17.

Batting stars:  Gene Larkin was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a double, scoring once and driving in three.  Al Newman was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, driving in one.  Dan Gladden was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition stars:  Robin Yount was 3-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and three RBIs.  B. J. Surhoff was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fourth) and a walk.  Juan Castillo was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The game:  Newman had an RBI double in the third and Larkin had a two-run double in the fourth to put the Twins ahead 3-0.  In the bottom of the fourth, however, Surhoff hit a three-run homer and Castillo singled in a run later in the inning to give the Brewers a 4-3 lead.  The Twins battled back, as Gladden doubled in a run in the fifth to tie it and Larkin homered in the sixth to give the Twins a 5-4 advantage.  It was short-lived, though, as Yount hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to put Milwaukee on top 6-5.  Yount struck again in the eighth, delivering a two-run single that gave the Brewers some insurance runs.  The Twins did not get a hit after the Larkin homer in the sixth.

Of note:  Kirby Puckett was 1-for-4 with a run and was batting .326.  Larkin raised his average to .328.  Roy Smalley pinch-hit and was 0-for-1, making his average .316.  Neither starter lasted long.  Mike Smithson pitched well for three innings, but his line is 3.1 innings, four runs, nine hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.  John Henry Johnson didn't do a lot better, going 4.1 innings and allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Record:  The Twins were 37-28, in first place by two games over Oakland.

Notes:  It was an unusual lineup.  Newman was at third base in place of Gary Gaetti and led off.  Greg Gagne batted second, Gladden third, and Puckett fourth.  Larkin was the DH, with Smalley out of the lineup, and Sal Butera caught in place of Tim Laudner.

Player profile:  Juan Castillo was the more-or-less regular second baseman for Milwaukee in 1987, the only season he would see that much playing time.  He came from the cradle of shortstop, San Pedro de Macoris, and signed with the Brewers in 1979.  He never hit much, even in the minors.  His best season was 1984, when he batted .288 with an OPS of .736 for AA El Paso.  He started 1986 in the majors as reserve infielder but was not used much, playing in only 26 games in half a season and batting just .167.  He was the most regular of the second basemen Milwaukee had in 1987, starting 81 games, as Jim Gantner missed about half the season.  He did not take advantage of his chance, batting .224 with an OPS of .613.  He was back to a reserve role in 1988 and after the 1989 season he was a free agent.  He was in AAA for Cleveland in 1990, in AAA back with Milwaukee in 1991, and played sporadically in the Mexican League through 1998.  His major league numbers were .215/.282/.279 in 469 at-bats (199 games).  At last report, Juan Castillo was living in Miami.