MINNEAPOLIS — No person gives the Yankees a get-right recreation fairly just like the Twins.
That’s what made Monday’s shutout of the Yankees so stunning. It’s also what made Tuesday’s recreation so acquainted, not less than till the perennial punching baggage started to punch again.
The groups returned to their repeatedly scheduled programming for a number of innings, with the Yankees beating up on the Twins early earlier than hanging on for expensive life late in a 10-9 win at Goal Discipline.
A ten-1 lead by 4 innings grew to become 10-8 by the sixth inning, as Cam Schlittler and Ryan Yarbrough flirted with potential catastrophe.
Mark Leiter Jr. and Devin Williams restored order to the sport, combining to throw 2 ²/₃ shutout innings to bridge the hole to David Bednar, who gave up a solo shot within the ninth earlier than ending off the save.
The win allowed the Yankees (84-67) to maintain tempo within the division race with the Blue Jays, who remained 5 video games up, personal the tiebreaker and are nonetheless within the driver’s seat to say the AL East with 11 video games to play.
Extra importantly, the Yankees remained a recreation forward of the surging Mariners for the highest AL wild-card spot whereas shifting two video games forward of the Pink Sox.
An evening after the Yankees had been shut out and struck out 14 instances towards these similar lowly Twins (66-85), they racked up 16 hits, as each batter within the beginning lineup had not less than one hit by the fourth inning.
The Yankees had a handful of hitters who had cooled off of late, however the Twins supplied a human thawing.
Anthony Volpe, beginning for the primary time in every week after slumping once more and getting a cortisone injection in his left shoulder, loved a robust return with a 2-for-4 effort.
He roped a double to the right-center area hole within the second inning, labored a stroll within the third inning after which shot an RBI single by the suitable facet within the fourth.
Giancarlo Stanton, who got here into the evening 6-for-51 over his previous 15 video games? He went 2-for-4 with a sacrifice fly.
Trent Grisham, who was 1 for his final 25? He went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly.
Austin Wells, who was 2 for his final 24? He went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
Even Ryan McMahon, who was 2 for his final 25, went 1-for-5.
The underside third of the order — McMahon, Volpe and Wells — mixed to attain 5 runs, sparking rallies within the second and third innings. The Yankees scored two runs within the first inning, 4 within the second, three within the third and added one other within the fourth.
Schlittler appeared dominant at instances however erratic at others as he gave up 4 runs throughout 4 ²/₃ innings whereas strolling a season-high 5 batters.
He retired 11 straight batters at one level however struggled on both finish of that stretch.
The rookie right-hander retired his first two batters of the evening on two pitches, however then his command betrayed him.
He obtained forward 1-2 on the subsequent two batters and ended up strolling each of them, with one among them coming in to attain on Royce Lewis’ sharp single by the left facet.
To get out of the jam, Schlittler struck out Matt Wallner on a 100 mph fastball, which started the stretch of 11 straight batters retired earlier than he gave up a one-out single within the fifth inning.
James Outman adopted that with a 443-foot residence run to make it a 10-3 recreation.
Schlittler misplaced his command once more, strolling three of the subsequent 4 batters (and throwing a wild pitch that made it 10-4), which compelled Aaron Boone to tug him earlier than he might make it by 5 innings.
Fernando Cruz got here in to get the final out and strand a pair of runners earlier than Yarbrough took over within the sixth, with the seemingly plan of attempting to have him pitch the remainder of the sport to present the bullpen a breather.
However Yarbrough couldn’t maintain up his finish of the discount, giving up hits to 4 of the 5 batters he confronted — together with a two-run shot to Ryan Fitzgerald that minimize the Yankees result in 10-7.
Leiter relieved Yarbrough and allowed a bunt single after which a deep fly ball to Trevor Larnach, nevertheless it simply stayed within the park to go for a sacrifice fly that pulled the Twins inside 10-8 earlier than the rally ended.
Leiter lastly settled the sport within the seventh, with a fast 1-2-3 inning, earlier than Williams did the identical within the eighth.
