Bradley throws a gem and Twins win 5-1

Taj Bradley delivered a strong performance on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing just five hits as the Minnesota Twins pulled away late to defeat the Kansas City Royals 5–1 on Thursday. The win helped Minnesota avoid a three-game sweep.

Locked in a tight contest for most of the game, the Twins finally broke things open in the ninth inning with a surge of power. Matt Wallner started the rally with a home run to left field. Shortly after, Kody Clemens added his first homer of the season, and Josh Bell followed with another blast, marking Minnesota’s first back-to-back home runs since last July.

Bradley (1–0) struck out three and walked one, outdueling Cole Ragans, who fell to 0–2 despite a solid outing. With Bradley on the mound, the Twins improved to 2–0, accounting for their only wins during a six-game road trip that began with four straight losses.

Minnesota got on the board early when Clemens scored in the second inning on an error by veteran catcher Salvador Perez. Later, in the eighth, Byron Buxton added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead.

Kansas City’s lone run came in the eighth inning. Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. reached base with consecutive singles, setting up a sacrifice fly by Vinnie Pasquantino. However, the rally stalled when Twins reliever Taylor Rogers struck out Jac Caglianone, leaving the tying run stranded.

The Royals’ quiet offensive showing came just one day after they scored 13 runs against Minnesota. Meanwhile, Ragans rebounded from a rough season debut, pitching six innings while allowing four hits and one walk and striking out eight.