BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (Interstat) — The Minnesota Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-1 on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, at Target Field, using a two-run first inning and a two-run eighth to take the second game of a three-game series. The announced attendance was 22,193, and the game lasted 2 hours, 12 minutes.

Minnesota improved to 62-65, while Atlanta fell to 74-52. The Twins have now won two straight over the Braves, both by identical 4-1 scores.

The Twins struck first in the bottom of the opening inning. Ryan Jeffers doubled sharply to right field on a ball deflected by center fielder Michael Harris II, and Josh Bell followed by homering to right center, his 17th of the season, to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.

Atlanta’s lone run came in the sixth. Drake Baldwin hit his 21st home run of the season to left center, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Braves put two more runners on base in the inning when Harris II singled and Ozzie Albies singled, but Lane Thomas struck out swinging to end the threat.

The game remained 2-1 until the bottom of the eighth, when the Twins broke it open. Kaelen Culpepper led off with a single to center, and after Luke Keaschall flied out, Byron Buxton singled on a sharp ground ball to left, sending Culpepper to second. Ryan Jeffers then delivered the decisive hit, a sharp line-drive double to center that scored both Culpepper and Buxton and gave Minnesota a 4-1 lead. Jeffers finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two doubles.

Josh Bell also had two hits, going 2-for-4 with the home run and two RBIs. Kody Clemens added a single in the eighth, and Brooks Lee singled in the seventh. Minnesota outhit Atlanta 10-6.

Zebby Matthews earned the win for Minnesota, improving to 7-8. He pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out four. Tyler Mahle took the loss for Atlanta, falling to 4-10. Mahle allowed six hits and two earned runs over 6 2/3 innings, striking out three. Yoendrys Gómez recorded his 19th save, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in which he allowed one hit and struck out one.

Harris II had three hits for Atlanta, including a ground-rule double in the fourth, a single in the sixth, and a double in the ninth. Baldwin went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. The Braves stranded runners in the fourth, sixth, and ninth innings.

Minnesota grounded into two double plays, both by Trevor Larnach and Royce Lewis. The Twins turned them in the third and fourth innings to erase baserunners. Atlanta pitchers combined for 12 strikes, 41 balls, and 12 balls in play, while Minnesota pitchers combined for 11 strikes, 21 balls, and 11 balls in play.

Andrew Morris, A.J. Minter, and Kody Funderburk each pitched scoreless relief for Minnesota. Morris struck out one in the seventh, Minter worked a clean eighth, and Funderburk got the final out of the eighth inning.

Atlanta threatened in the ninth when Harris II doubled to left field with one out, but Ozzie Albies grounded out, moving Harris to third, and Lane Thomas struck out to end the game. Thomas struck out twice in the game and was one of three Braves to strike out multiple times.

The Braves left the bases empty in the first and second innings, and their best early scoring chance came in the fourth when Harris doubled down the left-field line. He moved to third on a groundout by Albies, but Mike Yastrzemski struck out to end the inning.

Minnesota’s early lead held up behind Matthews, who allowed only a walk in the second inning before settling into a rhythm. He retired the side in order in the third and fifth innings and escaped a two-on situation in the sixth after Baldwin’s homer.

Mahle matched Matthews for most of the afternoon, retiring 10 straight Twins between the second and fifth innings. He allowed only a single to Bell in the fourth before inducing a double play from Lewis to end that inning.

The Twins added insurance in the eighth off reliever A.J. Minter, though Minter was charged with the two runs. Minter replaced Mahle to start the inning, and after the two-run double by Jeffers, struck out Bell on a foul tip and finished the inning.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Atlanta Braves 5, Minnesota Twins 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Atlanta a 57.70 percent probability to win. Atlanta had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 5 went over the over/under line of 8.5.