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.
With two outs in the first, Ryan Jeffers doubled to deep right-center. Bell then drove a 1-1 splitter deep to right for his 17th home run of the season and a 2-0 Twins lead.
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.
But for the third straight game, the Twins scored early and then had a hard time tacking onto their lead. Luke Keaschall hit a leadoff single in the third and Bell did the same in the fourth, but both runners were erased by double plays to get former Twin Tyler Mahle off the hook.
Zebby Matthews cruised through the first five innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out four. Drake Baldwin led off the sixth with an opposite-field home run to cut the Twins’ lead to 2-1. Two outs and two more hits later, Matthews was done. Kody Funderburk came on with runners on the corners and struck out pinch-hitter Lane Thomas to end the threat.
The Twins rallied for two more in the eighth off the Braves’ bullpen. Kaelen Culpepper led off with a single and moved to second on pinch-hitter Byron Buxton’s one-out base hit. Jeffers followed with another double to the wall in right-center, driving in both runs.
And for the second straight night, the Twins' bullpen was lights-out. Andrew Morris and A.J. Minter each turned in a 1-2-3 inning, then Yoendrys Gómez locked down his 19th save of the season after allowing a leadoff double in the ninth.