Bell giving the Twins stability with his bat and leadership

MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Twins signed free-agent slugger Josh Bell in December, they knew they were getting an experienced and respected player to provide a veteran presence in their clubhouse.

They were also hoping to watch him knock the ball around Major League ballparks for six months or so.

Check and check.

Bell provided a jump start with a two-run homer to the upper deck in right-center in the first inning on Tuesday and the Twins went on to beat the Braves, 4-1, at Target Field.

The win puts the Twins on the verge of sweeping the Braves, immediately after having been swept by the Phillies in their last series. And it continues the theme of resilience that has played out over and over this season. Whenever it has seemed like things were spiraling out of control, this Twins team has climbed off the mat and gotten back in the fight.

Having a 12-year veteran like Bell around to steady the nerves behind the scenes has no doubt helped. But watching him launch bombs and get on base at a furious clip also does wonders for a team’s resiliency.

“Whether it's been times where we've been struggling or times that things have been going well, to be able to have veteran leaders -- and we brought in him, we brought in Taylor Rogers -- they’re able to provide things in the room that the coaches or the managers cannot provide,” manager Derek Shelton said. “And there is a stability factor that I think Josh Bell brings.”

With two outs in the first, Ryan Jeffers doubled to deep right-center. Bell then fell behind 0-1 and took a called second strike. However, Bell challenged the call successfully. Sitting at 1-1 rather than 0-2, he drove a splitter deep to right-center for his 17th home run of the season and a 2-0 Twins lead.

“It was super early for the challenge, but I figured, runner in scoring position, kind of trust your gut there,” Bell said. “It was a situation where we needed runs. It definitely changed the mentality, where I didn't have to protect there. I could still do my A swing.”

The home run extended Bell’s on-base streak to 21 games, one behind Bryce Harper for the longest active on-base streak. It’s also his longest single-season streak; he had a 22-game streak that spanned the 2019-20 seasons.

Being a presence in the clubhouse is one thing, but it’s harder to lead when you’re not making things happen on the field. That hasn’t been a problem for Bell, one of the team’s most productive hitters all season.

“When you go 434 [feet] in the first, it makes it [easier],” Shelton said. “I'm really happy he did what he did, but regardless of what he does, what he means in our clubhouse is really important.”

Rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper started the eighth inning with a single and the Twins ended up tacking on two more insurance runs on a Jeffers two-run double. Culpepper has been one of the many young players soaking up all he can learn from Bell.

“He helps calm things down for me, because obviously, I have a lot of questions and stuff,” Culpepper said. “So he's one of those guys who I can talk to and relate to a little bit more. He has a lot of advice on how to handle things, what to do in certain situations and stuff like that.”

Bell doesn’t consider himself a guru or an oracle, however. He knows young players look up to him, but like any good leader, he also knows the relationship works both ways.

“I feel like everyone in here has their own baseball story, their own identity, and I just have a few more experiences than other people at the big league level, so I share that when I can,” Bell said. “But aside from that, I feel like this group's such a good one that it's not too hard to lead, and I'm learning from them, too.”

As for the playoff race, Bell joined the Padres at the 2022 Trade Deadline and helped them on a run to the NLCS. He noticed at least one similarity between that team and this year’s Twins.

“That bullpen that we had in San Diego was unbelievable,” Bell said. “And with the additions that we made, we’ve definitely taken that step forward. It seems like all we need to do is get the lead early, and then let our bullpen take the reins and take us home.”

Bell made sure the Twins got the early lead, and for the second straight night, their bullpen finished the job.