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PIT@MIL: Fiers strikes out eight over five innings

Before this week's sweep at the hands of the Royals, it appeared the Brewers finally had something going.

Milwaukee had won back-to-back series -- against the Cubs and Padres -- for the first time this season, scoring nearly seven runs per game in the club's last four wins.

The Brewers picked up a win in the series opener against the Twins on Friday, but before that, manager Ron Roenicke said it's been hard to make a run with inconsistent play.

"I thought this was the time we needed to do it," Roenicke said. "We were winning some series. We still weren't locked in in all areas, but we were playing better."

In the three straight losses to the Royals, Milwaukee scored a total of seven runs and never more than three in a single game. The pitching has kept games close, as all of the losses were decided by one run, but the offense has been lacking.

To capture another series, Milwaukee will look to 27-year-old right-hander Mike Fiers, who is set to make his fourth career start.

Fiers was sharp in a 2-1 win against the Dodgers on May 29, allowing just one earned run on five hits in seven innings. He's surrendered four runs in each of last two starts -- both losses -- and has given up a total of 18 hits in those games.

"First start, his fastball was good," Roenicke said. "It was up in the zone, he moved it in and out. It's just command. He's got a lot of different pitches. If he's commanding at all, he's going to do well."

For the Twins, they'll hope to get a strong performance from starter Liam Hendriks, who is set to make his return to the Majors. The right-hander went 0-2 in four starts early in the year and was sent to Triple-A Rochester with a 9.00 ERA.

Hendriks seems to have turned things around, as he went 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA in seven starts for the Red Wings. He said he improved his command while in Triple-A and also changed his mechanics to add movement to his fastball and bite to his curveball.

Part of Hendriks' early struggles were in his head, he said, but his stint in the Minors has helped him with his confidence, which he hopes carries into Saturday.

"I was more worried about [hitters] beating me than me beating them," Hendriks said. "I was pretty much losing it for myself rather than going out there and trying to command everything and beat them."

Brewers: Scarpetta undergoes Tommy John surgery
Brewers pitcher Cody Scarpetta, a member of Milwaukee's 40-man roster, underwent season-ending elbow ligament replacement surgery last month, news that was confirmed by general manager Gord Ash on Friday.

Scarpetta is on the 40-man roster because of an injury-related technicality, and the Brewers used the 23-year-old right-hander's final Minor League option in March.

Although the success rate for Tommy John surgery is high, the recovery is usually about a year. Scarpetta is 28-21 with a 3.61 ERA in four Minor League seasons.

"The reason why I did have this surgery is I do think I will be in the big leagues at some point," Scarpetta told television station WIFR in Rockford, Ill., which first reported the news. "And, to me, I needed to have the surgery to pitch at that level."

Twins: Morneau sits out Friday's game
Twins first baseman Justin Morneau did not play in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Brewers, sitting out with a sore left forearm.

Listed as day-to-day, Morneau already missed 15 games this season in early May with a sore left wrist. Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said this injury, suffered while swinging the bat, is not that serious and was open to the possibility of Morneau being back in the lineup on Saturday.

"He's got a little soreness in his left forearm, so rather than him come out and take some swings and see how it was, I said, 'Let's back off and let's let it get well,'" Gardenhire said. "He was sore after the game [on Thursday]. He came in [Friday] and said he felt better, but he wanted to go test it and I said, let's take a day."

Morneau is batting .241 with 33 RBIs and 10 home runs this season.

Worth noting
•Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun's Interleague hit streak grew to 20 games on Friday, after he connected on two hits, including a three-run homer. It's the longest active Interleage streak in the Majors and the longest of its kind in Brewers history.

•With two solo shots Friday night, Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe has 10 homers in his last 14 games.

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