Twins' one big inning enough to complete sweep of Brewers

The Twins had a long pregame team meeting in Florida last week, with all their hitters and hitting coaches, to have an open discussion about the lack of consistency in their offense.

"We spent some time together in Tampa and discussed a lot of different things," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli revealed Wednesday. "We'll keep those private but that's what we did. We brought everyone in and sat everyone down and talked through a few things. A lot of people spoke."

Whatever was said apparently has worked. Bailey Ober, who had only four runs of support in his previous four starts, was propped up with a four-run third inning in the Twins' 4-2 victory over the Brewers on Wednesday, completing the two-game series sweep.

It was the Twins' first sweep since their opening series of the season in Kansas City from March 30-April 2.

"Some of it was talking about the previous week or two," Trevor Larnach said of the team meeting in Tampa, which came during a stretch when they scored seven runs in six games. "I hadn't been with the team, so I couldn't have had a lot of input. But I was listening, and a lot of it was approach and battling and having collective good outings as a group, which you saw today."

Whether it stemmed from the team meeting — multiple hitters said there has been a different vibe since last weekend in Toronto — or the timing was a coincidence, the Twins are seeing better results. When their lineup flipped to face Brewers starter Colin Rea for the second time Wednesday, they exploded for that four-run inning.

Edouard Julien, inserted into the leadoff spot when he was called up last weekend, started the rally with a double into the left-center gap. Julien fouled a sinker in a similar spot before he struck out in his first at-bat, then hit the next sinker he saw with a 108-mph exit velocity, showing the in-game adjustments that make him a promising hitter.

Three batters later, Correa lined a two-run triple off the wall in right field, powering an outside fastball to the opposite field. Correa has six extra-base hits and 10 RBI during his six-game hitting streak.

After Larnach hit an RBI double off the right-field wall in an eight-pitch at-bat, past leaping right fielder Brian Anderson, Joey Gallo drove in a run with a fly ball that was lost in the smoke-filled sky. Even those fortunate breaks — Anderson and second baseman Owen Miller both had trouble tracking Gallo's fly ball — seem to be happening more frequently.

"I think it started with Julien, his double," Larnach said. "Some of it can be a momentum thing or a flow of energy amongst the team when a team feels good and there's good vibes going on and people are relaxed."

The Twins didn't add to their lead after the third inning, but they put a runner on base in every inning and compiled as many walks (seven) as strikeouts.

The top of the lineup continues to provide a boost. Julien has reached base 10 times in the four games since he was promoted from Class AAA. Donovan Solano has seven hits and five walks in his last five games. Alex Kirilloff has a 15-game on-base streak in games he started. Correa finally emerged from his slump.

"I go in the weight room and everyone is smiling and laughing," Larnach said. "Some people have their shirt off and stuff. You're not seeing that when it's a loss."

Ober matched a season high with seven strikeouts in six innings, puzzling hitters with his changeup. He retired 12 of his final 14 batters after surrendering back-to-back homers and a double in the second inning.

In a stellar season, Ober's ERA rose from 2.61 to 2.65 after allowing two runs, but some newfound run support gave him his first winning decision since May 16.

"These two-game sweeps, I don't think about them really that much," Baldelli said. "I just want to take a bigger-picture look and see how we're playing right now. We're playing the way we want."