MINNEAPOLIS — The Pirates beat the Twins 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, snapping an eight-game losing streak and ending a miserable road trip with a win. The Pirates went 1-8 on their longest trip of the year.

Dennis Santana was the winning pitcher, improving to 3-2. Twins closer Jhoan Duran took the loss and is now 5-4. David Bednar had the save, his 13th of the year. Mitch Keller allowed one run in six innings, but didn’t get the offensive support for a win.

The Pirates scored the winning run in the ninth, loading the bases off Duran with three singles. Spencer Horwitz brought in a run with an RBI groundout. Bednar closed it out and sent the Pirates to the All-Star Break on a positive.

‘We needed that one’

When reporters entered the Pirates’ clubhouse after speaking to Don Kelly, “Good Day” by Nappy Roots was playing.

“We're gonna have a good day / And all my homies gonna ride today / And all these mommies look fly today / And all we wanna do is get by today / Heyyy”

"We needed that one,” Kelly said. “Mitch, again, did a phenomenal job, pitched deep into the game, gave us a chance and, against one of the best closers in the game, being able to come through there late was huge. [Caleb Ferguson], Santana and Bednar, they've been so strong for us, and for them to keep us in it and give us a chance to win and ultimately come out with a win after a tough road trip up to this point was great.”

It wasn’t the most convincing win — more on that later — but it was one the Pirates badly needed.

“It felt good to end the losing streak, for sure,” said Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who went 4 for 4 with four singles. “It's been a tough road trip. Nice to get to walk away with the win going into the All-Star Break.”

Keller agreed. It’s one game, not too impactful in the long term, but there is a difference between going into the break on a win instead of a nine-game losing streak.

“Obviously, everyone's happy,” Keller said, gesturing to the music-filled clubhouse and teammates ready to get away for a few days. “A lot more good vibes than bad. So obviously, a positive there.”

How it happened

Three good things happened in Sunday’s game. Each could have trade deadline ramifications.

First, Keller pitched well. He completed six innings on 83 pitches, allowing one run and four hits. He struck out three.

“Another quality start, too,” Kelly said. Keller now has 14, second-most in baseball. “I can’t say enough about him. He’s been great.”

Second, the Pirates’ three leverage arms in the bullpen all put up zeroes. Ferguson pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with a strikeout. Santana allowed two hits in the eighth, but got out of it with minimal stress. Bednar had two strikeouts for the save.

Third, the Pirates’ ninth-inning rally was something they haven’t done enough of of late. Against Duran’s 102-mph fastball and mid-90s splinker, the bottom of the lineup strung three hits and a hard-hit groundout together to score a run.

Sure, one was Oneil Cruz pinch-hitting, and sure, there was some good fortune that Horwitz’s groundout didn’t end as a double play, as Brooks Lee made a stellar diving stop but the ball got stuck in his glove. But considering that the Pirates came into the inning 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, two hard-hit balls are a positive.

“When we're passing the baton is when we're at our best,” said Kiner-Falefa, whose liner up the middle loaded the bases. “I think when we're focusing on just doing the little things, we are able to put things together. … I felt like today we did a better job of just trusting our teammates and being able to start some type of rally.”

As for Cruz, he didn’t start after sustaining a mild hip flexor injury yesterday, but beat out an infield single against Duran. He looked fine. Kelly said he’d have to confirm with Cruz after the game, but said Cruz seemed good to participate in Monday's Home Run Derby.

Was it really a good day?

“We're gonna have a good day / And ain't nobody gotta cry today / 'Cause ain't nobody gonna die today / You can save that drama for another day / Heyyy”

Was Sunday a good day? A win is a win and Sunday was one they needed, but Sunday was also very nearly a ninth-consecutive loss.

The Pirates had 10 hits, but left nine runners on base. Apart from Tommy Pham’s second inning homer, they weren’t able to score until the ninth. It was nearly another day where good pitching wasn’t enough for a win.

“The one thing we were talking about is we’re 7-8 in our last 15 heading into the break,” Kelly said. “Hard to think like that when you’re going through six [wins] in a row, then you lose eight, but just proud of the guys for finishing the road trip with a big W on the road against a tough closer. Looking forward to that being a building block for the second half.”