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Brewers nip Twins

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks had a hand in all five Milwaukee runs and the Brewers overcame a club-record five wild pitches with a strong effort by the bullpen to beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 on Wednesday night.

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AP photo Twins first baseman Justin Morneau tags out Brewers baserunner Carlos Gomez in the second inning of Wednesday night's game at Miller Park.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Leadoff hitter Rickie Weeks had a hand in all five Milwaukee runs and the Brewers overcame a club-record five wild pitches with a strong effort by the bullpen to beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Weeks had three hits, drove in three runs and scored twice.

Manny Parra (2-5) won for the first time as a starter this season. He tied a 35-year team mark with four wild pitches, including one during an intentional walk.

Reliever Kameron Loe threw a fifth to set a team record for wild pitches in a game, but the AL Central-leading Twins failed to take advantage.

Rookie closer John Axford earned his sixth save and second in two nights. After giving up an RBI double to Joe Mauer with two outs, Axford struck out Justin Morneau for the second straight game to end it.

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Career saves leader Trevor Hoffman began warming up late in the eighth, but quickly sat back down when Milwaukee failed to tack any more runs after Weeks' run-scoring single gave the Brewers a 5-2 lead.

None of the relievers' innings were easy in Milwaukee's third straight win.

Loe, Zach Braddock, Carlos Villanueva and Axford all dealt with the tying run either at the plate or on base in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth. Still, Axford stayed perfect by converting his sixth straight opportunity since taking the role from Hoffman.

Milwaukee, now 2-0 to start a nine-game homestand, finally got the best of its border rival and snapped a streak of five straight series wins by the Twins no matter what happens in Thursday's finale.

Minnesota starter Francisco Liriano (6-5) held the middle of Milwaukee's order of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Casey McGehee to 0 for 9 with five strikeouts. It was the rest of the lineup that hurt him.

In the third, Corey Hart doubled in Weeks, who had walked, to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. Weeks drove in two more with his two-out, bases-loaded single in the fourth to make it 3-2. Liriano left after the fifth.

Parra won for the first time as a starter since Sept. 25, but it wasn't pretty.

The worst of his wild throws came in the sixth when his toss sailed over catcher Jonathan Lucroy's head when they were trying to intentionally walk Delmon Young.

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That throw allowed Jason Kubel to move to third with one out, but Parra went on to pitch to Young and forced him to hit a short chopper to McGehee at third, who threw out Kubel at the plate.

Parra fired one final wild pitch during a walk to Nick Punto, then exited for Braddock, who struck out pinch hitter Jim Thome to end the inning and preserve Milwaukee's 3-2 lead. Braun drove in Weeks with a fielder's choice in the seventh to make it 4-2.

Young put Minnesota ahead 2-1 with a bases-loaded single in the fourth, but the Twins couldn't get another late even though Morneau continued his tear against the Brewers. He is 13 of 23 this season with a .347 career average against Milwaukee, but failed in the final at-bat again.

NOTES: Ed Sprague also threw four wild pitches at Texas on May 14, 1975. ... Braddock returned after missing a game due to a death in the family. ... Brewers RHP LaTroy Hawkins (right shoulder) says he's nearing the end of his scheduled throwing program and expects to be on the mound to continue rehab next week. ... Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says he'd like to see the interleague rules flip-flopped, allowing DHs to play in NL parks and the pitchers to hit in AL parks.

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