The Twins kept their momentum rolling Wednesday night and finished off a three-game sweep of the Braves with a 6-4 win at Target Field, getting a big night from two names that did plenty of damage: Culpepper and Kody Clemens.
Culpepper turned in the first three-hit game of his career, and he was right in the middle of the inning that cracked the game open. With the score tied 1-1 in the fifth, he opened the rally with a single off Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver.
From there, the Twins kept pressing. Culpepper eventually scored the go-ahead run when Josh Bell drew a bases-loaded walk, and Clemens followed with a two-run double that pushed the lead to 4-1.
Culpepper had already helped set the table earlier, too. In the third, his one-out single kept things moving by sending Victor Caratini to second. Caratini advanced to third on Luke Keaschall’s bunt single and scored on a grounder from Byron Buxton to put Minnesota on the board.
The Braves answered and tied it at 4-4, but the Twins responded again in the seventh. With one out, Bell ripped a hard grounder to right-center and hustled into second for a double.
Left-handed reliever Dylan Lee entered to face Clemens, and Clemens lined an RBI single to give Minnesota the lead back. Brooks Lee then added an insurance run with a base hit to center, scoring Clemens.
Jeff Hoffman handled the eighth for the Twins, striking out three while working around Ozzie Albies’ one-out double.
In Other News...
Twins Playoff Push May Force A Big Walker Jenkins Decision
The Twins series win over the Braves did more than nudge the record to 62-65. It kept Minnesota within reach in both the AL Central and Wild Card races, and that kind of late-summer positioning tends to sharpen every roster decision the front office makes. When a club is still in the chase, the conversation shifts quickly from patience to impact, especially if there is a bat in the system that could help right away.
Walker Jenkins is now part of that conversation. The top prospect has been productive at Triple-A St. Paul, and the case for bringing him up is as much about timing as talent: if the Twins are serious about chasing a spot, they may need to decide whether his offense and defense are worth giving regular run in the big leagues before the calendar runs out. The question is no longer whether Jenkins is one of the organizations most intriguing young players. It is whether Minnesota is willing to make the move now and live with the ripple effects. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Need To Start Planning For Life After Buxton In Center
Byron Buxton has spent his entire major-league career in center field, and for the Twins, that reality still matters even as the defensive edges have started to fray. Over the past two seasons, there has been some regression in his range on balls hit laterally and in the value of his arm, but he remains a playable center fielder heading into 2026, which keeps the current arrangement intact for now.
Still, Minnesota has a future option lined up in Walker Jenkins, whose strong work in Triple-A has only sharpened the sense that the long-term answer could be coming soon. Jenkins is expected to be the clubs primary center fielder down the road, potentially by 2027, which leaves the Twins balancing what Buxton can still provide now with the likelihood that they will eventually have to hand the position to the next wave. [Read more 🡒]