MILWAUKEE 4, MINNESOTA 3 IN MILWAUKEE

Date:  Tuesday, July 16.

Batting stars:  Kirby Puckett was 3-for-4 with two doubles.  Mike Pagliarulo was 2-for-3.  Brian Harper was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.

Pitching star:  Kevin Tapani pitched eight innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out four.

Opposition stars:  Chris Bosio pitched seven innings, giving up one run on seven hits and no walks and striking out two.  Darryl Hamilton was 3-for-3 with two walks.  Paul Molitor was 2-for-5 with a double and two runs.

The game:  Molitor led off the bottom of the first with a single, followed by Hamilton's bunt single.  Another bunt moved the runners up and a sacrifice fly made it 1-0 Brewers.  The Twins got a pair of two-out singles in the second but could do nothing with them.  Puckett led off the fourth with a double but only got as far as third.  They tied it in the fifth, however, when Greg Gagne got a two-out single and scored from first on a Randy Bush double.

It didn't stay tied long.  In the bottom of the fifth, Jim Gantner singled, stole second, and scored on a B. J. Surhoff single, putting Milwaukee up 2-1.  Puckett again led off with a double in the sixth and again could only get as far as third.

In the top of the ninth, though, things changed.  Chili Davis walked and Harper hit a two-run homer, putting the Twins ahead 3-2.  Rick Aguilera came in, and looked like victory was assured.  The first two batters were retired on ground outs.  Then, however, Bill Spiers singled and scored on a Molitor double.  A wild pitch sent Molitor to third and Hamilton singled him home with the game's deciding run.

WP:  Doug Henry (1-0).  LP:  Aguilera (2-4).  S:  None.

Notes:  Shane Mack was again in left with Dan Gladden still out.  Randy Bush was again in right and again batted first.  Jarvis Brown pinch-ran for Davis in the ninth and stayed in the game to play right field, with Aguilera inserted into the leadoff spot in the lineup.  Scott Leius pinch-hit for Pagliarulo in the ninth and stayed in the game at third base.

Harper raised his average to .333.  Puckett raised his average to .324.  Tapani's ERA fell to 3.16.  Aguilera's ERA rose to 3.02.

Following his 3-for-27 stretch, Puckett was now 10-for-21 in his last five games, raising his average from .314.

Pagliarulo had a seven-game hitting streak.  He was 15-for-24 and had raised his average from .244 to .290.

This was Aguilera's seventh blown save in thirty-one chances.

Texas lost to Detroit 6-5 and fell out of second place.

Record:  The Twins were 51-38, in first place in the American League West, 2.5 games ahead of Oakland.