Minnesota needed one swing to set the tone. Josh Bell went deep in the first inning, and the Twins never trailed again in a 4-1 win over the Braves at Target Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| MIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 4 | 10 | 0 |
Bell finished 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs, raising his season totals to 17 homers and 77 RBIs on a .258 average. His blast came with a runner already aboard, and it stood as the game's decisive swing from the opening frame onward.
Bell's two-run homer to right center scored Jeffers and put Minnesota ahead 2-0 before Atlanta had come to bat a second time. The Braves answered in the sixth when Drake Baldwin homered to left center, cutting the deficit to 2-1, but Minnesota answered in the eighth. Jeffers doubled to center, driving in both Byron Buxton and Kaelen Culpepper to make it 4-1 and restore the cushion.
Tyler Mahle took the loss for Atlanta, falling to 4-10 on the season. He allowed 2 runs on 6 hits over 6.2 innings with 3 strikeouts, keeping the Braves in range before Minnesota's eighth-inning damage put the game out of reach. Michael Harris went 3-for-4 with two doubles, but the Braves' offense could not generate more than the one run off Baldwin's homer.
Zebby Matthews earned the win for Minnesota, allowing 1 run on 5 hits over 5.2 innings with 4 strikeouts, improving to 7-8. Yoendrys Gomez closed it out with a scoreless inning for his 19th save. The Twins' bullpen covered 3.1 innings without allowing a run. Minnesota improved to 62-65 and extended its winning streak to two games, while Atlanta fell to 74-52 with its second straight loss.