ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: Shane Drohan #55 of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 31, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ryan Sun/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesAfter a 3-1 series victory over the Pirates, the Milwaukee Brewers turn their attention to their western border and welcome the Minnesota Twins to town for a three-day weekend set. The Twins, despite low external expectations before the season, are hanging around in the American League playoff race, but theyre coming off of a series in which they lost two of three to the lowly Kansas City Royals. Minnesotas lineup is not the issue. This group boasts plenty of punch, even with their central star, Byron Buxton, on the injured list; the Twins are just five runs behind the White Sox for most runs in the American League this season (though the top seven teams in runs scored are all in the NL, so Minnesota is just 10th overall). The Twins weakness this season has been on the pitching side, especially in the bullpen, though they made a couple of moves to shore up that unit at the trade deadline with deals that brought in relievers Jeff Hoffman, AJ Minter, Tommy Nance, and starter Dean Kremer.Tonight, the Twins will throw righty Zebby Matthews, freshly recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in the wake of Joe Ryans glute injury and subsequent IL placement. Matthews has bounced back and forth between the majors and minors this season, and will be making his 15th start for the Twins; in 81 innings in his previous 14 starts, Matthews is 4-8 with a 5.22 ERA and 5.03 FIP. Matthews doesnt walk a ton of batters but his home runs are up quite a bit in 2026 while his strikeouts are down quite a bit, an unenviable combination.In response, Milwaukee will pitch Shane Drohan, who makes his 13th start and 23rd appearance for the Brewers. In 88 innings overall this season, Drohan has a 3.48 ERA and impressive 3.03 FIP, but arguably his biggest contribution has been his consistency; in six starts in July, Drohan went at least 5 2/3 innings each time out, and except for one unfortunate game against the Rockies, he allowed three runs or fewer in all of them.Jake Bauers is notably back in the lineup at first base for the Brewers after missing a couple of games with abdominal issues. This does finally enact the move Christian Yelich down in the lineup plan that was delayed when Bauers was scratched earlier this week, though Yelich will bat sixth tonight instead of the seventh position he was originally slated for. Also notable is that David Hamilton continues to get starts at third base against right-handed pitchers, while Joey Ortiz is on the bench for the fourth straight game. Cooper Pratt is at shortstop, with Brice Turang in his usual spot at second, while William Contreras catches and the outfield goes Jackson Chourio-Garrett Mitchell-Luis Lara from left to right.A big note about the Twins lineup tonight: itll be the debut for the teams #2 prospect via MLB Pipeline and their #29 prospect overall, Kaelen Culpepper. (Kaelen is not, no matter what Googles AI tells you, related to Daunte.) Culpepper is a 23-year-old who was the Twins first-round draft pick in 2024 and boasts solid tools across the board. In 74 games for St. Paul this season, Culpepper hit .271/.367/.478 with 15 doubles, 14 homers, and 17 stolen bases in 20 tries. Hell start at shorstop and bat seventh tonight, just in front of old friend Victor Caratini.First pitch is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.Friday night at our house : https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm: WTMJ pic.twitter.com/sYQw85EXyB Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 7, 2026Debut on deck https://t.co/usGFyQCbUxpic.twitter.com/5q09ncXViL Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 7, 2026