In pinch hitting for Royce Lewis, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was playing for the best matchup

With a runner on first base in a two-run game Tuesday, Royce Lewis went to the dugout and Max Kepler walked to the plate in a move that left many fans scratching their heads.

Manager Rocco Baldelli chose the lefthanded-hitting Kepler over the righty Lewis against Brewers righthander Elvis Peguero, the first time Lewis was replaced for a pinch-hitter in his major league career. Lewis had eight singles in his previous 11 at-bats while Kepler was hitting .191.

The move worked — Kepler drew a seven-pitch walk — but it took the bat out of the hands of one of the Twins' hottest hitters.

"I thought the best at-bat was to get our lefthanders out there," Baldelli said. "There's a lot of pitchers in this game, not saying this guy just in particular we were facing, but I like the matchup significantly better with the lefthander. That's why we make the moves."

Peguero has pitched much better against lefties (.293 OPS in 35 plate appearances this season) than righties (.630 OPS in 63 plate appearances) in 24 innings this season. After Kepler's walk, the lefty-hitting Trevor Larnach pinch-hit for Ryan Jeffers.

Lewis authored a few clutch moments since he returned from the 60-day injured list on May 29, but this was a situation where the Twins thought Kepler gave them a better chance.

"We're just here to win," Baldelli said. "If it comes down to being pinch-hit for in a given game, you don't have to like it, but you've got to keep cheering for your teammates and be ready to go. Royce will be fine. He's a competitor and a great team guy anyway. It's part of what we do here. We pinch-hit a lot and we're going to continue to do it."

The Twins used Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning Wednesday to face the top of the Brewers lineup, which he retired in order in 12 pitches, but they opted to restrict him to a one-inning stint.

That set the stage for Griffin Jax to earn his first save of the season. The only other save in his career was a three-inning save in a six-run game on April 28, 2022.

"The last time out in Toronto, when [Duran] threw more pitches than he's ever thrown before, he needed several days to get back," Baldelli said. "I didn't want to mess around with that again. Griffin looked great."

Joey Gallo hit a fly ball that dropped in right field for an RBI single in the third inning, but he was thrown out attempting to advance to second base, a call that was overturned on replay review.

Larnach, who was on second base, scored before Gallo was thrown out at second base to give the Twins their fourth run of the inning in the 4-2 win.

"I was so close to home plate, I wasn't worried about it," Larnach said. "When I got to the dugout and the coaches were like, 'Did he score? Did he score?' They got me a little worried. I felt confident. He hits it so high that I'm on second base and I'm at home already by the time the ball lands."

The St. Paul Saints hit a season-high five home runs, backed by sharp pitching, in an 11-3 rout of the Louisville Bats on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky. They have now improved to a franchise-record 12 games over .500 at 38-26.

Chris Williams hit two more home runs, coming on the heels of a three-homer game on Tuesday. He hit a two-run shot in the first, and another two-run blast in the sixth. Williams has 11 RBI over the last two games and has reached base safely in eight of his last 11 plate appearances.

Jair Camargo also hit a two-run homer, and Andrew Stevenson and Anthony Prato added solo shots.

Saints starter Randy Dobnak pitched 5⅓ innings, allowing three unearned runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out seven.

• Byron Buxton completed drills before Wednesday's game and may be activated from the 10-day injured list Thursday or Friday. "I think he'll be back in a day or two," Baldelli said.

• The Twins acquired Brewers minor league reliever Taylor Floyd, a 25-year-old righthander, as the player to be named later to complete the Trevor Megill trade. Floyd owns a 3.04 ERA in 15 relief appearances at Class A-Advanced.