MINNEAPOLIS -- With a bunch of big guys who swing even bigger, these Milwaukee Brewers always have the strength to quickly climb back in the game. They sure powered their way past this latest deficit. Carlos Gomez hit a three-run homer against his former team to spark the comeback for the Brewers in an 8-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. "If we swing the bat like that, were going to really do well," manager Ron Roenicke said. Khris Davis hit a two-run homer off Kevin Correia (2-7) for the lead in the sixth inning to pull Brewers starter Wily Peralta (5-5) out the an early hole created by Oswaldo Arcias grand slam. Jonathan Lucroy tacked on a two-run shot in the ninth, and Francisco Rodriguez finished up for his 18th save in 20 attempts. Thats been a functional formula for the Brewers, whove been in first place in the NL Central since April 5. "Theyve got a lot of guys who can hurt you, and you have to be careful," Correia said. "Obviously you make one pitch at the wrong time, its three runs. Thats happened to us twice in the last two nights." Arcia gave the Twins a 4-0 lead in the third inning, but the young slugger left the game after spraining his right ankle while being picked off second base in the sixth. Peralta was in trouble every other inning, but Arcia was the only one who actually made him pay for it -- and in a big way. After two walks sandwiched around a single, all with two outs, Brewers pitching coach Rick Kranitz visited the mount for a talk with Peralta. Then, the burly 23-year-old Arcia clobbered a 2-2 slider onto the open concourse behind the right field seats, the first grand slam of the season by the Twins. Arcia responded to his curtain call, emerging from the dugout, flipping his helmet off to reveal his intimidating faux-hawk haircut and thrusting both arms in the air to acknowledge the crowd. Peralta (5-5) finished five innings, giving up five hits and three walks while striking out four. He was 0-4 in his previous five starts despite a couple of strong performances. Naturally, as he matched his shortest turn this season he picked up the win. "He works really hard on every single batter, and you cant keep doing that," Roenicke said. Gomez gave him a boost in the second inning with a sprinting, leaping grab of Trevor Plouffes drive to right-centre field. Gomez crashed against the wall, crow-hopped away from it as he flashed his glove and chopped his arms below his chest in celebration. Then came the bigger play by Gomez, whose all-around potential showed in two seasons with the Twins but was too raw at the time for them to trust him. He tapped his helmet and pumped his arm at each base as he sprinted around the diamond following his three-run drive that brought the Brewers roaring back in the fourth. "Huge getting back in the game. The grand slam just takes that good feeling out of you, and then Gomez comes through," Roenicke said. Gomez batted cleanup for the 13th straight game, hitting .333 with two homers and 12 RBIs in that span. "Every time he walks to the plate hes in scoring position," Davis said. Coincidentally, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire praised in his news briefing before the game the flair that Arcia and Gomez carry, which can irk some players. "I think thats part of the game, man. Youre supposed to have fun," Gardenhire said. Correia hasnt had much fun lately. He was the most reliable starter for the Twins last year, but he gave up a season-high 10 hits while striking out three. His ERA spiked to 6.11, putting his spot in the rotation in question. There was no question for Gardenhire, though. "Kevins one of our starters. Hes paid good money to do that," the manager said, "and hes still going to get paid no matter what." NOTES: Roenicke said Aramis Ramirez, used as the DH to ease him back in from the DL, will return to 3B on Friday. ... Arcia is batting .366 in his last 10 games. ... Gomez is batting .333 in 22 career games against the Twins, with six HRs and 16 RBIs. . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. . Cleveland has won the first two of this set and has won six straight games since losing back-to-back tilts to open the year. Seattle, on the other hand, has now lost six in a row following consecutive wins to kick off its campaign.
http://www.officialwizardsfanstore.com/ ... ds-jersey/. CHAUNCEY BILLUPS (Pistons): Yes they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings in the off-season and Andre Drummond is a beast (teams are kicking themselves for passing on him - he rebounds and block shots every game - thats two more discernable and significant skills than most guys in his draft class), but dont for a second discount the impact of having a savvy veteran like Billups on your team. . According to a report from ESPN, the veteran safety has signed another one-year deal with the team Raiders, the team that drafted him, and who he returned to last year after a long stint with the Green Bay Packers. . - Novak Djokovic beat John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1 on Saturday to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open, where hell resume his longtime rivalry with Roger Federer.CHICAGO -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman has been cleared to throw batting practice for the first time since he was hit in the face by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 19. Chapman sustained fractures of his nose and and a bone above his left eye when hit by the drive off the bat of Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Reds manager Bryan Price said Friday he wasnt sure exactly when Chapman will throw but said it likely wwill be during the teams 10-game trip that ends April 27.dddddddddddd. "Our concern initially was anything that might come up and bounce and hit him in the face, and if he would be at a higher risk for further injury, and hes been given the clearance on that," Price said. "So hes a full-go in that regard." Price also said Chapman will go on a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment before rejoining the Reds. ' ' '
