Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – The Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 Tuesday night at Target Field, locking up the three-game series with a game still to play.
Minnesota jumped on Braves starter Tyler Mahle in the first inning, plating two runs before Atlanta came to the plate a second time. That was nearly all the cushion Zebby Matthews needed. The right-hander worked five and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out four and walking one on 90 pitches.
The lone blemish came in the sixth, when catcher Drake Baldwin took Matthews deep for a solo home run that trimmed the lead to 2-1. Four Minnesota relievers combined to finish the game without allowing another run.
The Twins tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth. Minnesota finished with 10 hits and went 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position, while Atlanta went 0-for-6 in the same spots.
Josh Bell homered and drove in two runs, going 2-for-4 on the night. Ryan Jeffers matched him with two RBI on a pair of doubles. Luke Keaschall added two hits, and Byron Buxton reached and scored in his only plate appearance. Neither team committed an error.
Michael Harris II led Atlanta with three hits, including two doubles. Mahle took the loss, giving up six hits and two earned runs over six and two-thirds innings.
The win is Minnesota’s second straight after dropping the finale of the Philadelphia series. The two teams wrap up the set Wednesday afternoon at 12:40 p.m. at Target Field, with the Twins going for the sweep before opening a road trip in San Diego on Friday.
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