Ortiz provides late spark, Brewers score 5 runs in 12th inning to outlast Twins 8-4

“This was a ruthless victory if there ever was one,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

Jackson Chourio had two RBIs on three singles and Brice Turang extended the lead in the five-run 12th inning with a two-run single for the Brewers, who finally finished the job long after starter Freddy Peralta had thrown six shutout innings.

Carlos Santana hit a two-out, two-strike slider off Jakob Junis (2-0) for the Twins’ tying two-run homer in the 11th inning — against his most recent former team — after the Brewers had scored twice that inning.

Steven Okert (3-1) stumbled through the 12th inning and took the loss. Jake Bauers threw his bunt up the third base line, but as Okert approached the falling ball, he realized he couldn’t catch it and instead of letting it drift foul, he touched it too early. Okert had no play as he stumbled toward third and the Brewers loaded the bases with no outs to begin their romp.

“I don’t know if I had a chance,” Twins third baseman Brooks Lee said. “But either way, that ball’s going to roll foul. It happens.”

Ortiz, the automatic runner in the 11th, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a diving run to beat the tag with an infield-in chopper.

“We came back stronger, and that’s great for us,” Peralta said. “I think this game is going to mean a lot because it was the first of the second half, so now we’re just going to keep going.”

After so many midweek games against their border state opponents, the Twins finally managed to secure a weekend series against the Brewers. Under Major League Baseball’s schedule, it lasted just two games, expanding the interleague rivalry to three-game sets hosted by both teams next season.

With classic midsummer weather and more standing room than when the stadium opened in 2010, a crowd of 41,679 fans was expected, the largest attendance for a regular season game in Target Field history.

The Brewers (56-42) have held on to first place in the NL Central for 103 consecutive days despite losing seven of their last 10 games before the break. They hold a five-game lead over St. Louis.

The Twins (54-43) finished five games behind Cleveland in the AL Central and hold the second of three wild-card spots.

Twins starter Pablo López struck out seven in seven innings with four hits, one walk and one run allowed, completing seven innings for only the fourth time in 20 starts.

Willi Castro, who had just made his first All-Star Game selection, doubled for the Twins in the eighth inning and scored the tying run with a diving infield-in chopper.

The Twins recalled second baseman Edouard Julien to fill the void in the infield, as shortstop Carlos Correa was on the injured list with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. After more than six weeks in Triple-A, he excelled with the glove upon his return, also hitting Peralta’s leadoff in the third inning.

“We had some good swings,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We just needed more.”

Brewers: RHP Aaron Civale (2-7, 4.94 ERA) takes the mound Sunday afternoon. In his start at Target Field for Tampa Bay on June 18, Civale allowed seven hits, four runs and two walks in 3 2/3 innings to the Twins. He was acquired by Milwaukee in a trade on July 3.

Twins: RHP Joe Ryan (6-6, 3.53 ERA) pitches the series finale. He is 3-0 in his last four home starts.

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