The Minnesota Twins completed a stunning three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves at Target Field on Wednesday night, beating the NL East leaders 6-4 to leapfrog into the final American League Wild Card spot — even as the club sits two games below .500.

Kody Clemens drove in three runs, including a go-ahead single in the seventh inning, while Kaelen Culpepper collected three hits and Josh Bell extended his on-base streak to 22 straight games. Starter Taj Bradley struck out seven over five innings, allowing just one run, and closer Yoendrys Gómez notched his 20th save to lock down the win. Manager Walt Weiss was ejected in the eighth arguing a check-swing call, capping a rough week for Atlanta, which has now lost five of its last six games.

A Wild Card race with an unlikely leader

The result pushed Minnesota to 63-65 on the season, a half-game ahead of the Texas Rangers for the third and final AL playoff berth — an unusual position for a team currently below .500 this deep into August. The sweep came days after the Twins themselves had been swept by the Phillies, underscoring just how muddled the American League's Wild Card picture has become down the stretch.

For Atlanta, still atop the NL East, the series was a rare stumble against a team fighting for its playoff life. The Braves managed only 15 runs across the six-game skid that included the Minnesota sweep.

"Everybody on our team contributed in this win... we ended up beating a really good team," Twins manager Derek Shelton said afterward.

Bell, whose hustle double in the seventh helped seal the win, credited simple instinct: "As soon as he took those extra steps, I just ran." Clemens, who has quietly become a run-producing bat off the bench, added of the go-ahead hit: "It feels great when you do" come through in that spot.

Minnesota now turns to interleague play, opening a three-game set Friday against the San Diego Padres, while Atlanta will look to right the ship as the calendar turns toward September. With Texas, Boston and other contenders bunched tightly behind Minnesota, the final AL Wild Card slot figures to change hands multiple times before the regular season closes. Full coverage of the tightening race is available via MLB.com.