Josh Bell set the tone early, and the Minnesota Twins’ bullpen did the rest.
Bell ripped a two-run double in a four-run first inning Tuesday night, and Minnesota held off the Atlanta Braves for a 4-2 win. The Twins jumped on starter Martín Pérez right away, sending the first six batters to reach and scoring the first four hitters in the lineup.
Bell’s flare down the right-field line landed just inside the chalk and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double. Royce Lewis and Kody Clemens followed with RBI singles to keep the inning rolling.
Bell and Clemens each finished with two hits for Minnesota, which was trying to steady itself after letting a five-run lead slip away in Sunday’s 7-5 loss to Philadelphia. This time, the bullpen protected the cushion after Bailey Ober was limited to 4 1/3 innings.
Ronald Acuña Jr. cut into the lead with a two-run single in the fifth and sent Ober to the dugout. Taylor Rogers then cleaned up the inning by getting left-handed hitters Matt Olson and Michael Harris II.
Travis Adams was sharp behind him, throwing two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Jeff Hoffman ran into trouble in the eighth but escaped, helped by Clemens’ diving stop on a hard grounder from Harris. Yoendrys Gómez walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, then locked down his 17th save in as many chances.
Minnesota also had a chance to add more in the eighth, but left the bases loaded with no outs.
Pérez, who had been riding 18 straight scoreless innings, gave up nine hits and two walks in five innings while striking out three.
The game’s start was pushed back 51 minutes, though no rain ever fell.
In Other News...
Joe Ryan Just Gave Twins Fans Reason To Watch September Closely
Joe Ryans road back from the injured list took a meaningful step this week, and for a Twins club that has spent plenty of time piecing together the back end of the rotation, it was the kind of update worth circling. The right-hander, who has been out with a strained left glute muscle, got back on the mound for the first time since his Aug. 4 outing and worked through a short bullpen session as he continues his recovery.
Derek Shelton called the throwing session encouraging, which is about as much as Minnesota can ask for at this stage. The larger question is still when Ryan will be ready to rejoin the staff, and for now there is no set timetable, leaving his return one of the more closely watched developments as September unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Playoff Push May Force A Big Walker Jenkins Decision
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Twins May Need To Start Planning For Life After Buxton In Center
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Walker Jenkins is the reason that conversation is starting to feel more than theoretical. The top prospect is performing well in Triple-A and is viewed as the organizations center fielder of the future, with 2027 looking like the clearest path for that changeover. For the Twins, the question is no longer whether Buxton can handle the spot right now, but how long they can afford to wait before planning for the next one. [Read more 🡒]