Twins 3, Royals 2: Royce Lewis Walks Off the Royals!

Box Score
SP: Taj Bradley 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 10 K (102 pitches, 68 strikes (67%))
Home Runs: N/A
Top 3 WPA: Royce Lewis (0.85), Josh Bell (0.16), Brooks Lee (0.15)

Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) 

Taj Bradley's first win of 2026 came at the expense of the Royals, and he was hoping that his 10th win of the season would close a circle. Bradley's counterpart on the mound was veteran righty Seth Lugo, and his last start against the Twins wasn't as clean: he surrendered five runs over five innings. The Royals came in winners of seven of 10 since the All-Star break, while the Twins were one win away from reaching that elusive .500 mark again. T-minus six days until the trade deadline, it’s time to take care of business at home.

Bradley Deals, but So Does Lugo
I'm not sure you can compare the approaches of these two starters, other than by saying they both were effective. Bradley stayed in the high 90s through the first five innings, with seven strikeouts and a clean slate on the scoreboard. Meanwhile, Lugo looked like a possessed Zack Greinke against the Twins lineup, inducing double play after double play while ranging between the mid-70s and the low 90s. Kody Clemens finally found some exit velocity in the bottom of the fourth, mashing a double off the wall in right. Josh Bell kept doing what Josh Bell does. His ground ball found the center field grass, plating Clemens for a 1-0 Twins lead.

Byron Buxton Forced to Exit Early Again
Before the ink had dried on that lead, Alan Roden was trotting out to right field and Luke Keaschall was moving to center field. Byron Buxton's hip flared up again, and the trade season ramifications all flared up, too. Buxton hasn't been able to run full speed since his return, and his ability to stay in the lineup will be key to the rest of this season. The silver lining? Would Roden get another hero moment at Target Field? Unfortunately, the Twins were going to need one.

Weak Contact, butthe Royals Will Take It
In the top of the sixth, Bradley came back to Earth the hard way. He walked No. 9 hitter Josh Rojas to start the inning, and then Lane Thomas check-swung a single to right to put runners on the corners with one out. The Twins knew that something was up, and they held a meeting to discuss everyone's role should the Royals attempt a double-steal. Thomas indeed headed for second, and Ryan Jeffers followed the plan by throwing to second. Unfortunately, Jeffers's throw bounced to Ryan Kreidler, and Kreidler's throw to the plate had no chance of catching Rojas. With the game tied and Thomas at second, Bradley induced Salvador Perez to hit a floater to right-center. In typical "the Twins need a win" fashion, though, the bloop fell in front of Roden to put the Royals ahead 2-1. Bradley's night ended with a whimper, and a desperate plea to his teammates to save this from being the best-pitched loss of the Twins' season.

The Twins offense immediately tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the sixth, but with runners on the corners and only one out, Victor Caratini hit into the fourth Twins double play of the first six innings. "Twin killing" has never felt more real.

When All Hope Seems Lost...
The Twins bullpen did what they've been doing, posting goose eggs on the scoreboard to keep the flailing bats in the ballgame. Brooks Lee got a one-out double in the seventh, but no one—not even Roden—could knock him in. Jeffers worked the count full and laced a lead-off single to left to start the eighth. Austin Martin pinch-ran, but Clemens promptly grounded into the fifth Twin-killer of the night. Seriously. 

Caratini got his second hit of the game to lead off the ninth, and it looked like Luke Keaschall had saved the day with a hooking double to left. Isaac Collins ran and dove and stole all hope from Twins Territory, however, and Caratini had to scamper back to first. Lee worked a walk on a full count to advance the tying run into scoring position with one out, but Kreidler tried to do too much and went down swinging. Royce Lewis had entered the game to pinch-hit for Trevor Larnach in the bottom of the seventh, which meant he now had to face righty Alex Lange. The writing was on the wall for another lackluster Twins loss. Then Lewis's oppo-blast hit that wall and bounced away into a game-winning two-run double! Walk-off winner! What did you think was gonna happen?

What’s Next?
The Twins look to keep the good vibes rolling against the no-longer-surging Royals. The Twins hope that the healthy, playoff-ace version of Joe Ryan (6-6, 3.38 ERA) will take the mound, while Kansas City will also send dear old friend Randy Dobnak to the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm CDT.

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