Yankees Keep Rolling With Offensive Outburst in Series-Opening Win Over Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — An uncharacteristic outing from Jameson Taillon and some sloppy defense didn't stop the Yankees from cruising to a series-opening victory over the Twins on Tuesday night.
Sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton set the tone in the first with two majestic home runs before Anthony Rizzo delivered a debilitating blow with a three-run shot in the seventh, insurance for New York in an 10-4 win.
Taillon had given up three runs or fewer in each of his first 10 starts of the season entering play on Tuesday night. He proceeded to allow four earned runs against Minnesota's lineup at Target Field, lasting just four innings for his shortest outing of the year.
The right-hander permitted a season-high nine hits as well, striking out only three batters.
After Taillon came out of the game in the fifth, it was nothing but zeros from three arms out of the visitor's bullpen. Lucas Luetge, Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio combined to shut the Twins down over the game's final five innings, allowing just three hits in the process.
Judge's league-leading 22nd home run came as fans were still finding their seats in the top of the first. With DJ LeMahieu on first courtesy of a leadoff single, the center fielder whacked a two-strike fastball from right-hander Cole Sands high off the batter's eye in center field, a 431-foot blast.
After Sands retired Rizzo with a strikeout, Stanton sent a two-strike cutter into the second deck in left, his 12th homer of the season. The designated hitter's no-doubter soared 445 feet, leaving his bat at 111.8 mph.
New York didn't score again until the fourth, but they peppered Minnesota's pitching staff with hits all night long. Ending up with 14 in the game, the Yankees had at least one baserunner in every inning except the ninth.
In the seventh, hanging on to a 5-4 lead, the Twins elected to intentionally walk Judge with LeMahieu on second and two men out. Rizzo—who was 0-for-4 to start the night—took advantage of the opportunity, belting a three-run homer off the facing of the second deck in right on a hanging curveball from Tyler Duffey. Rizzo's homer was his 14th of the season.
The victory for New York extends their winning streak to seven games. These two teams are back in action again on Wednesday night with lefty Nestor Cortes on the mound against veteran right-hander Chris Archer.
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