Josh Bell stays hot for Twins in 7-5 win over Orioles

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Aug 12, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — Twins manager Derek Shelton managed Josh Bell for one season in Pittsburgh, plus four months into this season, and the longtime hitting coach still isn’t exactly sure how Bell has so much success.

“I wish I could give you an answer to how Josh Bell’s swing works. I have no idea,” Shelton said. “I didn’t have an idea in 2020 when he played for me. But I know when he gets hot, he finds the barrel a lot.”

Bell is on one of those hot streaks now, producing three more hits Wednesday to help the Twins to a 7-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Target Field before an announced crowd of 20,160. In 10 games since the calendar flipped to August, Bell has five multi-hit games.

The Twins, who tallied 14 hits in the win, took two of three games from an Orioles team that is next to them in the wild-card standings. The Twins (60-62) have won six consecutive series at home, their longest streak since they won nine home series in a row in 2020.

The Twins gave Bell a one-year, $7 million contract during the winter because they believed in some of the changes he made with his swing in the second half of the 2025 season. The Twins stuck by him after he had a cold start, continuing to deploy the 33-year-old switch hitter as their primary designated hitter.

He’s rewarded their faith, entering Wednesday with a .282 batting average and a .844 OPS in his last 63 games. He’s totaled 72 RBIs this year, which ranks seventh in the American League. The Twins haven’t had a batter drive in 100 runs during a season since 2019.

“I’m definitely excited to be here, excited for the opportunity,” Bell said. “I know Shelty wanted me to fill that role of someone that he can trust in the clubhouse. I’m trying to do that as best as I can. A lot of young guys, a lot of first year players here, but we’ve got big games ahead of us.”

The Twins immediately rallied after falling into a three-run deficit in the third inning. Six of their first seven batters delivered hits, including RBI singles from Kody Clemens, a sacrifice fly from Luke Keaschall, an RBI single from Victor Caratini and an RBI double from Alan Roden.

They added two more insurance runs in the fifth inning, which included an RBI double from Royce Lewis.

The Twins could have Byron Buxton back in their lineup as early as Thursday’s Field of Dreams game, Shelton said. Before Wednesday’s game, Buxton ran the bases in front of head trainer Nick Papresta and took swings in the batting cage.

Buxton has been on the 10-day injured list because of a right hip impingement since July 29.

“He changes the game defensively,” Shelton said. “Take away the offensive component to him being healthy. When you’re talking about a premier defender that can change the game, and I think change the game in ways that we don’t even realize when we see balls that are not caught or plays that are not made.”

The Orioles scored a run in the first inning after their first two batters reached base, Gunnar Henderson crossing home on a fielder’s choice grounder. The Twins have allowed a first-inning run in nine of their last 12 games.

Trevor Larnach engineered a tying run in the bottom half of the inning. Larnach hit a leadoff single off Orioles right-hander Shane Baz, astutely advanced to second when Royce Lewis flew out to the warning track, and he scored from second when Bell blooped an RBI single into right field.

Zebby Matthews, who completed five innings, had trouble putting away hitters during a three-run third inning. Pete Alonso hit a single through the middle of the infield on a two-strike fastball. Tyler O’Neill, two batters later, dropped a single to center where Keaschall didn’t have a great read on the ball.

Dylan Beavers, who started his at-bat in a 0-2 count, drilled a three-run homer to right field on a low-and-inside curveball, the third curveball he saw in his six-pitch at-bat. It was Beavers’ first homer since April 24, spanning 46 games.