MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Twins traded away Nelson Cruz on Thursday, losing the unquestioned leader of their clubhouse in doing so, Minnesota’s coaching staff delivered a new message to a noticeably younger group in the typical pre-series position player meeting.

“We are going to go out there and focus, continue to work maybe harder than we’ve ever worked,” manager Rocco Baldelli recounted. “We’re going to focus on the fundamentals of the game and playing the game the right way.”

More veterans are likely to leave the clubhouse before the July 30 Trade Deadline is over, and that renewed focus is what it will take for this group of learning players to be ready for its role in what the Twins hope will be a winning 2022. Some of that promise showed through once again in Minnesota’s 5-4 victory on Friday over Los Angeles, fueled by the youngsters at the bottom of the lineup forcing the issue on a go-ahead knock by Ryan Jeffers in the eighth.

• What's next for Twins after Cruz trade?

“We kept fighting,” said Taylor Rogers, who recorded his 50th career save. “We were down and got down early, kept fighting and ended up taking a lead. I think that’s what Rocco was alluding to, not feeling sorry for ourselves, sticking with it and playing good baseball.”

With Minnesota trailing 4-3, Jeffers’ career-high third hit came off Angels closer Raisel Iglesias with two aboard in the eighth, setting off a cascade of defensive misfortune for Los Angeles that resulted in both runners touching home plate.

Miguel Sanó, who led off the inning with an eight-pitch walk against Tony Watson, took off from second and rushed home on an aggressive send by third-base coach Tony Diaz. Left fielder Juan Lagares’ throw home was wide, allowing Sanó to score the tying run. Meanwhile, Nick Gordon rushed from first to third, drawing a wild throw from catcher Kurt Suzuki that sailed into the outfield, giving Gordon clearance to score the go-ahead run.

“Once I saw the throw go into the field, I knew they had to make a play,” Gordon said. “I pretty much trust my legs a little bit, so I felt like they would have had to be perfect. Just kind of bang-bang. Trusted my instincts and took a shot there and it worked out.”

And there they were, two of the young Twins who should play important roles on next year’s team, taking advantage of the opportunity with heads-up play to fuel a victory. That’s what this coaching staff will hope to see much more of moving forward into these final two months of the season.

“Despite the fact that it didn't come easily, no one went away, no one quit,” Baldelli said. “The guys grinded it out, which is what we've talked about. That's the sort of thing that we've already started to discuss as a group and that we have to embody once we go out there between the white lines.”

Gordon knocked two hits, including an RBI single in the sixth that drew the Twins within a run. Trevor Larnach also reached base twice with a walk and RBI single, while Jorge Polanco had his second three-hit game in three days with a pair of singles and a double as the Twins’ offense stayed productive in Cruz’s absence.

Of course, things aren’t always going to run this smoothly with a ballclub that’s growing younger -- and those elements have occasionally flared up, too. Gordon was picked off of first base by Steve Cishek in the sixth inning (and likely would have scored the tying run on Jeffers’ subsequent double), while Larnach unleashed a big throw in Thursday’s game that allowed a runner to move up.

But there will be plenty of time over the next two-plus months for the Twins’ youngsters to learn from those plays -- and the good ones, too, as in Friday’s comeback -- and take advantage of that playing time with little to lose. In that vein, Baldelli said that his coaching staff is ready to take full advantage of those teaching moments.

“We're going to use this time to learn what goes on in the game, to spend more time on the field before the game, because the makeup of our team is different,” Baldelli said. “They know this is an important time for them and us as a team, and we’re not going to let it just go on by. The next two months are very important to us and our young players.”