Atlanta Braves at Minnesota Twins

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.”