MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins left 11 runners on base and their bullpen gave up a run in each of the final three innings during a 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday. On a bingo card, the Twins checked off the most frustrating ways to lose a game they led by two runs. With the score tied in the top of the ninth inning, Spencer Steer reached against Twins reliever Cole Sands on a ...

Taj Bradley of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Target Field on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Minneapolis.

David Berding/Getty Images North America/TNS

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins left 11 runners on base and their bullpen gave up a run in each of the final three innings during a 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

On a bingo card, the Twins checked off the most frustrating ways to lose a game they led by two runs.

With the score tied in the top of the ninth inning, Spencer Steer reached against Twins reliever Cole Sands on a ground ball that was misplayed by shortstop Brooks Lee and rolled into left field. After a sacrifice bunt, Dane Myers blooped a go-ahead, RBI single to center.

The Reds opened the eighth inning with back-to-back singles off Eric Orze, and Rece Hinds tied the score with a sacrifice fly to center.

In the seventh, Kody Funderburk entered with two outs and a runner on second base. He hit Myers with a pitch in a two-strike count, then gave up an RBI single to Elly De La Cruz, one pitch after the Twins were frustrated that De La Cruz wasn’t called for a check swing.

Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected by plate umpire Nic Lentz before Funderburk threw his next pitch for arguing from the dugout.

The Twins have lost three consecutive games, matching their longest losing streak of the season. It was the first time they lost a game started by Taj Bradley.

The Twins had a 2-0 lead after their first four batters. Austin Martin drew a one-out walk and Josh Bell followed with a ground-ball single to right field. That brought Ryan Jeffers into the batter’s box, who lined a fastball into the left-center gap for a bases-clearing, two-run triple.

It was Jeffers’ fifth career triple and his first one since the end of the 2023 season. The Twins dugout erupted as Jeffers gestured toward the bench after his headfirst slide.

The Twins lead all American League teams with 17 first-inning runs this year (and they rank first in the AL with 18 second-inning runs).

After the Reds scored a run in the second inning — Tyler Stephenson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly after Bradley issued a leadoff walk and Nathaniel Lowe hit a double — the Twins added to their lead against Reds left-handed starter Andrew Abbott in the third inning.

Martin put the Twins in position after he reached on an error, and he later avoided a double play with a deft slide into second base. Luke Keaschall, who had four consecutive at-bats with a runner in scoring position and zero RBI, poked an RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Shelton dropped Keaschall to fifth in the batting order, his first time hitting lower than third this season, because he thought Keaschall was pressing a little bit amid a slower start to the season. Keaschall entered Saturday with a .211 batting average and a .541 OPS through 76 at-bats.

“Right now, trying to take a little bit of pressure off him, yes, 100%,” said Shelton, noting Keaschall is 23 years old and he’s not concerned about his ability to hit. Keaschall added a leadoff double in the seventh inning on a line drive to left field, though he was stranded at second base.

The Twins had three hits in 14 at-bats with runners in scoring position through the first seven innings, unable to create some additional separation for their bullpen.

Lee hit a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning — he’s compiled 10 RBI in his past nine games — but the Twins left the bases loaded when Tristan Gray struck out against Reds reliever Sam Moll. Gray stranded two more runners in the seventh inning with a strikeout against reliever Brock Burke.

Bradley yielded five hits and two runs in six innings, an outing that included five strikeouts and two walks. He had a scattershot command of his pitches for the first three innings, throwing only 23 of his first 44 pitches for strikes, but he survived against the Reds lineup.

Shelton hugged Bradley at the end of his outing and tapped him on the chest. Bradley owns a 1.63 ERA through his first five starts this year.

Four relievers in the Twins bullpen combined to give up six hits and three runs over the final three innings.

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