ST. PETERSBURG -- The pitching staff dug deep, while Trevor Larnach and Brooks Lee provided the power from the roster depth -- and slowly but surely, the Twins are looking to right the ship with even more reinforcements on the way.

Larnach’s early three-run blast helped the Twins mitigate the impact of a short start from Simeon Woods Richardson, and Lee’s first homer -- and third hit -- since returning from the IL on Sunday gave the Twins’ stretched bullpen more wiggle room to hang on for a 5-4 victory over the Rays on Monday at Tropicana Field.

The win helped the Twins surge back past the Royals for second place in the AL Central, where they remained 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Guardians.

The end is in sight for the Twins’ stretch without both Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, with the center fielder perhaps set to return to the club later this week, and Larnach’s August production has been a significant reason why the offense has been able to maintain its production in that stretch while others like Jose Miranda, Royce Lewis and Willi Castro struggled.

Larnach walked and scored the Twins’ first run in the first inning, then crushed a 112.5 mph liner to the right-field bleachers off former Twin Zack Littell in the second inning to play a key role in both rallies that gave Minnesota its early lead.

Lee, in his second game off the IL following his recovery from right biceps tendinitis, showed off a rejuvenated swing without the pain in the shoulder with the first right-handed homer of his career, which proved a needed run as the Twins gave their bullpen a stress test with Ronny Henriquez protecting a one-run lead in the sixth and Cole Sands pitching a setup eighth.