Twins manager Rocco Baldelli wouldn’t say that Sunday’s game was more important than any other game. This time of year, they all matter “an immense amount,” he said Sunday morning before the Twins beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-2 in the series finale at Target Field. But it sure felt like Sunday’s game had some extra importance for the Twins. They were coming off two big losses to the Reds, a sub-.500 foe. The schedule only gets more challenging from here with a seven-game road trip beginning with four games in Cleveland against the division leaders starting Monday. And their lead in the American League Wild Card race would have been down to just 1 1/2 games if they had lost with Detroit winning earlier in the day. So when the Twins’ offense finally broke through in the sixth inning, tying the game on Ryan Jeffers’ two-out double and then took the lead when Brooks Lee singled home a pair of runners, it gave the Twins (79-70) a boost they so badly needed. “We hit a few balls really hard right at people, and if you just keep doing that, things will work out and that moment (Jeffers’ hit) was probably a big turning point for us,” Baldelli said. Lee helped put the game out of reach an inning later, delivering a bases-loaded triple to bring home three more runs in the most significant game of his young career. It was the first triple of Lee’s career and the first time he had driven in five runs in a game. “It feels great. It’s just important to win,” Lee said. “We avoided getting swept. The bats were on fire and we pitched well. Everything came together.” The triple came after Carlos Santana’s two-run homer — one of three hits for him on the day — had pushed the Twins’ lead to four, giving the bullpen a comfortable cushion. The Twins’ bullpen was unscored upon with three relievers — Ronny Henriquez, Cole Sands and Jorge Alcala — shutting down the Reds across the final 5 1/3 innings. It was a quick hook for Twins rookie pitcher David Festa, who topped 97 miles per hour in the third inning, which featured three strikeouts, but he ran into trouble an inning later. “I’ve counted way too many walks for my liking the last two outings,” Festa said. “But the bullpen did a great job picking me up, as well as the offense. And the defense was great behind me.” Festa gave up three hits to begin the inning — including a little dribbler that neither he nor catcher Jeffers could field — and a sacrifice fly, producing the only two runs of the game for the Reds (73-78). He then walked a pair of batters before turning the game over to Henriquez, who was able to escape the jam. From there, the offense took over. “The last two games we (didn’t) hit, but every day is a new day, a new game,” Santana said. “This is the game we need. We have 13 more games left, and we have to finish strong. We have the next two series in Cleveland and Boston, so we have to keep it up, play hard and play to win.” Minnesota Twins’ Brooks Lee hits a two-RBI single in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)