DENVER >> Christian Vázquez had three hits on Sunday, threw out a runner attempting to steal a base and helped guide Joe Ryan to yet another quality start. But perhaps the veteran catcher’s impact in Sunday’s win goes even further than that.

“Every time I hit in front of him and he bats behind me, I get good pitches to hit,” said third baseman Royce Lewis, who hit two home runs in the Twins’ 7-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday at Coors Field. “That’s what he was saying and he’s not wrong. I’m pretty sure I’ve always done some good stuff when I hit in front of him. I don’t know if that’s a trend or what.”

It sure was the case on Sunday.

The third baseman hit a solo home run to center field in the fourth inning, blasting a slider out 451 feet. He did it again in the eighth, sending a first-pitch slider out to left-center field, raising his left arm up in the air after he trotted past first base before continuing on with a variety of celebrations as he rounded the bases.

It was his first career multi-home run game in the regular season. He also accomplished the feat in the 2023 playoffs. The two home runs he hit Sunday, which came in front of his grandparents and other family members, doubled his total for the season.

“I felt athletic, like I just kind of went up and threw some approaches out of the window and just played the game like I was in Little League,” Lewis said.

Lewis, who stood in front of his locker in the Coors Field visiting clubhouse Saturday after being pinch hit for the night before, said he wanted to get back to the “Royce of old,” amid a season that has been seen him endure injuries and underperformance.

For one day at least, he did.

“It was beautiful,” said manager Rocco Baldelli, who had a lengthy conversation with Lewis before the game. “He felt like himself in a lot of ways today. I don’t think he could have looked much better.”His home runs were two of four for the Twins (48-51) on the day. Matt Wallner and Harrison Bader also left the park, while Willi Castro added a Little League home run — a triple combined with an error that allowed him to score — in the win.

It all came on a day where Ryan was, yet again, nearly untouchable.

The All-Star starter picked up where he left off in the first half of the season, throwing seven innings of one-run ball before the Twins turned the game over to Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran to finish off the win.

Ryan struck out 11 Rockies (24-75) hitters, matching a season high, and scattered five hits with no walks in his outing.

“He pitched the way he pitched in the All-Star Game and he pitched the way he pitched before the All-Star Game,” Baldelli said. “This is the way he pitches and (I’m) never surprised to see it, but he was absolutely on point all day long and gave us a great chance to win the game with an outing like that.

The only blemish on his day was a solo home run to Mickey Moniak in the third, making it 3-1 at the time after the Twins had scored three runs earlier in the inning. They would never trail on their way to avoiding a sweep on Sunday.

“Everyone just played good baseball today,” Ryan said. “I felt like it was a little lighter environment, just playing free.”