Keon Broxton has made challenging plays look routine for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The center fielder’s latest gem may have been his best one yet.

Broxton helped preserve a lead in the ninth Zach Brown Jersey , rookie Nate Orf hit a solo homer in Milwaukee’s two-run seventh and the Brewers beat the sliding Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Wednesday.

Broxton was on deck when Orf went deep two batters after Brad Miller hit a solo shot off Jose Berrios (8-7) to lead off the bottom of the seventh. It was Orf’s first career hit after coming up empty in his first seven at-bats.

Just a couple weeks ago, Broxton and Orf were also teammates at Triple-A Colorado Springs.

”Yeah I think I’m more excited about Orf’s home run,” Broxton said with a smile.

The Miller Park crowd was just as deliriously happy with Broxton’s catch. He ran full speed back to the wall and jumped with an outstretched glove to rob Brian Dozier of a homer for the second out in the ninth.

Broxton, filling in for the injured Lorenzo Cain, also made a tough catch at the angled part of the wall in center in a 6-5 win over Minnesota on Friday. He made a diving grab in the ninth last week to preserve a win at Cincinnati.

But manager Craig Counsell said Broxton’s latest catch was ”special … that one, he was on the run and had to time everything absolutely perfectly.”

The play prevented a rocky ninth for Corey Knebel from getting any worse. Eduardo Escobar hit his 13th homer and Jorge Polanco singled with two out, but Max Kepler flied to left to end the game. Knebel picked up his 10th save.

The Twins closed out a 1-8 road trip with their sixth consecutive loss.

”Frustrating. Dozier hits that ball and they made a heck of a play on that ball and then (Escobar) goes deep,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

BIG HIT

Jesus Aguilar and Manny Pina lifted Orf up by his legs at the dugout steps to help the rookie answer a plea for a curtain call from a vocal crowd following his homer in the seventh.

”They picked me up and that’s when I noticed they wanted a curtain call,” Orf said. ”Next thing I know, I’m in front of all the fans on their shoulders. It was awesome.”

ON THE MOUND

Jeremy Jeffress (6-1) picked up the win despite allowing Dozier to score from third on Jorge Polanco’s bloop single to left for a 1-all tie in the top of the seventh. The hit snapped a stretch of 20 1/3 scoreless innings for Minnesota against the Brewers.

Berrios allowed five hits, struck out three and walked two in seven innings. He got little support from Minnesota’s punchless offense, which managed just three hits in the first 6 1/3 innings against Chase Anderson.

”I feel mad. As a pitcher, I never want to lose Devin Bush Jersey ,” Berrios said. ”We had a chance to win the game and then they hit me for two homers. So I don’t like that.”

MAUER MILESTONE

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer got his 414th career double in the fourth inning, matching Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett for the franchise record.

QUOTABLE

”Yeah, that whole play, I think it was the best play I’ve ever made.” – Broxton on his ninth-inning catch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: Two-time All-Star RHP Ervin Santana (right middle finger surgery) is scheduled to make his next rehab appearance on Thursday at Class A Fort Myers. … Molitor said utility player Taylor Motter (concussion symptoms) is on a ”pretty good track” to return from the 7-day disabled list on Friday.

Brewers: OF Christian Yelich went 1 for 4 after being held out of the starting lineup for five games with lower back tightness. … Counsell said it’s a ”pretty good sign” that Cain (left groin) is running the bases. ”We are close, we’re just not there yet,” the skipper said.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Aaron Slegers will be recalled from Triple-A Rochester to start the opener of a four-game series on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles. Slegers, who has made one appearance this season in the big leagues, is 5-6 with a 3.55 ERA in 14 starts in the minors. Left-handed reliever Gabriel Moya was optioned to Triple-A to open a roster spot.

Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (6-3) opens a four-game series against the visiting Atlanta Braves. Chacin is 1-4 with a 3.94 ERA in six career starts against Atlanta.

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Cole Hamels helped the Texas Rangers keep rolling against a Kansas City Royals team caught in a freefall.

Hamels allowed four singles over seven innings, Delino DeShields doubled home two runs and the Rangers beat the Royals 4-1 on Tuesday night to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games.

The Royals have lost eight straight, matching their season high, and 14 of 15. They own a major league-worst 10-28 home record, and their 22-51 overall mark is the worst in franchise history after 73 games.

Hamels (4-6) picked up his first win since May 22. The run off him in the fifth was unearned, and he has yet to allow an earned run in 20 innings over three starts at Kauffman Stadium.

”To be able to get the runs that we did in the second and third http://www.steelerscheapshops.com/cheap-authentic-diontae-johnson-jersey , that was huge,” Hamels said. ”Just to kind of let you settle down and I felt good from there.”

Keone Kela pitched a spotless ninth for his 17th save in as many chances.

DeShields’ second-inning double scored Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Robinson Chirinos.

Kiner-Falefa, who had three hits and walked, doubled home Adrian Beltre in the third. Jurickson Profar scored the second run of the inning after third baseman Mike Moustakas‘ fielding error to make it 4-0.

”Early in the day he (Kiner-Falefa) wasn’t initially in the lineup, but it’s a testament to what he does every single day, the professionalism he shows up with, even as a young player, a rookie player, he comes prepared,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. ”He was one of the first players at the ballpark ready to play and he came up big for us tonight with the doubles.”

Royals starter Jason Hammel (2-8) was removed after 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and four walks. Hammel is 0-6 in nine home starts since an Aug. 20 victory over Cleveland.

”Four walks and two of them came around to score,” Hammel said. ”That’s the thing that will irk me as I’m trying to sleep. I had trouble gripping the ball the first few innings. I was just sweating like a dog. It’s an excuse. It’s something I’ve dealt with my whole career. I sweat a lot.”

Rosell Herrera’s two-out double in the fifth scored Alex Gordon with the Kansas City run.

Whit Merrifield led off the Royals’ first with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and stole third with none out Justin Layne Jersey , but did not score. Salvador Perez grounded into his 12th double play after Moustakas walked to end the inning.

”We’ve hit into our 73rd double play of the year, something crazy,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”It just boggles your mind that that has happened so many times.”

Gordon picked up his seventh outfield assist of the season, throwing out Elvis Andrus trying to score from second on Profar’s ninth-inning single.

GAME TWO TIDBITS

The Rangers have more than half of their 31 victories in the second games of series. They are 16-8 in Game 2s.

JUST LIKE DAD

Adalberto Mondesi doubled off Rangers RHP Bartolo Colon on Monday. His father Raul Mondesi went 2 for 11 off Colon. The Mondesi family is the fourth father-son combo to each record a plate appearance against the 45-year-old pitcher.

ROSTER MOVES

Rangers: LHP Yohander Mendez was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock after violating team rules. RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx was recalled from the same club. … Texas traded RHP Deck McGuire to the Los Angeles Angels for cash or a player to be named.

Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer was recalled from Triple-A Omaha, where he was 4-5 with a 5.75 ERA in 13 starts. He will be used in relief.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 1B Lucas Duda (right foot plantar fasciitis) went 2 for 5 with a three-run homer and a double in Omaha’s 9-2 victory Tuesday in Reno in his second minor league rehab game. OF Jorge Bonifacio, who is suspended for the first 80 games for violating the MLB’s drug policy, is hitting .448 in seven games with Omaha.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Bibens-Dirkx (0-1, 6.55) will start the series finale. He went 2-3 with a 4.47 ERA in 11 starts with Round Rock.

Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (5-7, 4.43) has lost his past four decisions. He has never faced the Rangers.

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