Twins 8, Brewers 6: Josh Bell and a Debut Homer Erase a Four-Run Hole

August 7, 2026 - Milwaukee - Four runs down in the second against the best record in baseball is usually a quiet night. Minnesota decided it was a dare.

Josh Bell went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI, Kaelen Culpepper homered in his major-league debut, and the Minnesota Twins erased a four-run deficit to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6.

From 4-0 down to even, then ahead

Jackson Chourio opened the scoring with a solo shot in the first. An error by Royce Lewis helped Milwaukee add three unearned runs in the second. Zebby Matthews (5-8) was already in a hole, and American Family Field felt like a trap.

Bell cut it in half with a two-run homer in the third. Culpepper, in his first big-league game, took an 0-2 pitch deep in the fourth. Austin Martin's RBI double later in the fourth tied it. Ryan Kreidler tried to score from first on the play and was thrown out at the plate, a reminder that comebacks still require baserunning judgment.

Minnesota took the lead in the fifth with two more runs. Milwaukee answered to knot it at 6-6 in the bottom half. The Twins broke the tie with two outs in the sixth: Ryan Jeffers and Lewis doubled, then Bell singled Lewis home for his third RBI. It was the biggest lead Milwaukee has blown in a loss all season.

Bullpen holds, Brewers strand

Jeff Hoffman struck out Luis Lara with the bases loaded in the seventh. Jackson Chourio grounded into an inning-ending double play in the eighth with runners on. Yoendrys Gómez retired the side in order in the ninth for his 16th save in 16 chances.

Matthews left with a blister on his right foot after starting the sixth, having allowed six runs (three earned) in five innings. Shane Drohan allowed six runs on nine hits over five for Milwaukee. Antonio Senzatela (9-3) took the loss after the two-out sixth-inning damage.

Central math for Minnesota

The Twins (58-59) are now two games behind Chicago in the AL Central after Cleveland also won. A road win against the NL's top club is the kind of result that keeps a .500 team in the conversation longer than the record suggests.

Milwaukee (72-44) still owns the best record in baseball. Blowing a four-run lead at home does not change that, but it does end the illusion that every night is automatic.

AthX Engine angle

Minnesota finished with 13 AthX Engine team fantasy points, third on the slate. Bell graded out at 12 hitting FP, among the night's best individual bats. Comebacks that spread scoring across four straight innings fill team boards even when the starting pitcher does not.

Track Josh Bell and the Twins and Brewers boards on the marketplace. Information only; not financial advice.

What it means

Culpepper's debut homer will be the clip. Bell's four-hit night will be the production. Together they gave Minnesota a road win it needed against the league's standard-bearer. Milwaukee will be fine. Nights like this are how wild-card races stay honest.

*Sources: MLB.com gameday final, ESPN recap, AthX Engine daily scoring for August 7, 2026. Information only; not financial advice.*