Josh Bell is providing value far beyond the box score for the Minnesota Twins.
Bell will try to keep leading the way when Minnesota squares off against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Twins are looking to complete a three-game sweep after beating the Braves 4-2 on Monday and 4-1 on Tuesday.
The Twins’ veteran first baseman played a big role in the latest win.
Bell opened the scoring in the first inning with a 434-foot, two-run blast that put Minnesota on top for good. It marked the 17th homer of the season for the 34-year-old who signed a one-year deal this offseason with a Twins club that was eager for a veteran leader.
Twins shortstop Kaelen Culpepper said Bell has been exactly that.
“He helps calm things down for me because obviously I have a lot of questions and stuff,” Culpepper said. “He’s one of those guys who I can talk to and relate to a little bit more. He has a lot of advice on how to handle things, what to do in certain situations.”
The Twins’ situation involves fighting for a playoff berth. Despite a 62-65 record, they are only a half-game back of the Texas Rangers for the American League’s third wild-card slot.
Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver (0-0, 4.15 ERA) will try to spoil Minnesota’s momentum in the series and help his team stave off the sweep. The Braves promoted Smith-Shawver from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday and designated right-hander Tyler Kinley for assignment.
Smith-Shawver, 23, will have an opportunity to show that he belongs in Atlanta’s starting rotation. He has made one start this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June and 16 starts in his major league career.
Braves manager Walt Weiss said he planned to use a six-man rotation for the time being. Others in the rotation include Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, Bryce Elder, Martin Perez and Grant Holmes.
“A lot of this is based on need and performance, and we re-evaluate virtually every day,” Weiss said. “… I feel like AJ is a guy that’s going to help us, and if it’s in the starting role, that’s how we anticipated. But that can always change to something else. It’s a talented arm, so I feel like he helps us moving forward.”
Smith-Shawver said he felt good about his stint in the minor leagues — where he’s posted a 1.57 ERA over seven starts spanning 28 2/3 innings this season — and is ready to help.
“It’s just going out there and getting the job done and trying to be as consistent as possible,” Smith-Shawver said. “… Whatever they want — they tell me where, when — and I’ll take the ball and give them as many outs as I can.”
This will be Smith-Shawver’s first career game against Minnesota.
The Twins will send out right-hander Taj Bradley (9-5, 3.98) for the series finale. He will make his 25th start of the season and appear in the 100th game of his career.
Bradley has not earned a victory in his past six starts. He is coming off a bumpy outing against the Philadelphia Phillies, who tagged him for five runs on seven hits in four innings last Thursday.
In two career starts against Atlanta, Bradley is 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA.
–Field Level Media
