Twins Avoid Sweep with 5-1 Victory Over Royals

Rookie pitcher Taj Bradley tosses 6 shutout innings, Minnesota hits 3 homers in the 9th

Apr. 3, 2026 at 11:24am

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A cubist-style painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes and planes in shades of green, brown, and white, conceptually representing the action and movement of a baseball game.A cubist interpretation of a pivotal moment in the Twins' victory over the Royals, capturing the dynamic energy of the game through fragmented geometric forms.Kansas City Today

The Minnesota Twins avoided a three-game sweep against the Kansas City Royals with a 5-1 victory on Thursday. Rookie pitcher Taj Bradley threw 6 shutout innings, and the Twins offense erupted for 3 home runs in the 9th inning to seal the win.

Why it matters

This was an important bounce-back win for the Twins, who had lost the first two games of the series against their AL Central division rivals. Bradley's strong outing and the late-inning power display will give the team momentum heading into their next series.

The details

Twins rookie Taj Bradley was dominant on the mound, striking out 8 batters and allowing just 3 hits over 6 scoreless innings. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the 9th, but the Twins broke it open with a trio of home runs to pull away for the victory.

  • The game was played on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
  • The Twins avoided a three-game sweep with the win.

The players

Taj Bradley

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher who threw 6 shutout innings in the win.

Minnesota Twins

The MLB team that avoided a sweep with the victory over the Royals.

Kansas City Royals

The Twins' AL Central division rivals who lost the series finale.

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What they’re saying

“Taj really set the tone for us today with his performance. That's exactly what we needed to bounce back and get this win.”

— Rocco Baldelli, Twins Manager

What’s next

The Twins will look to build on this win as they head into their next series against the Chicago White Sox starting on Friday.

The takeaway

This was an important divisional win for the Twins, who showed their resilience by avoiding the sweep and getting a strong outing from their young pitcher Taj Bradley.