Yankees Struggle Against Twins in 7-0 Defeat
MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees wrapped up a taxing 12-game stretch against playoff contenders on Sunday night, only to find themselves facing the Twins, a team they’ve often dominated, despite not being one of the league’s worst.
This felt like a classic trap game.
Perhaps due to emotional fatigue or physical exhaustion, the Yankees only managed two hits, and their bullpen faltered once again, leading to a 7-0 loss to the Twins at Target Field on Monday night.
With an 83-67 record, the Yankees are drifting in the division race, now trailing the Blue Jays by 12 games. The wild card seems more within reach, as they are currently just one game ahead of the Red Sox for the top wild card spot.
Heading into Monday, the Yankees had a remarkable 109-43 record against the Twins (66-84) since 2002, and including postseason games, that record stands at 125-45.
Initially, this part of the schedule appeared to be an easier stretch after a 7-5 run against the Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Red Sox.
However, Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, a former Mets prospect, proved formidable, racking up a career-high 11 strikeouts in six innings. This came right after Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet had made an impression on the Yankees the day before.
After arriving in Minneapolis late Sunday, pitcher Carlos Rodon, the most rested Yankee, turned in a solid performance, allowing only two runs over six innings. Unfortunately, he received little support from his teammates.
Luke Weaver took over in the seventh inning, effectively ending any hopes of a Yankees comeback. He gave up five runs on three hits and two walks—this marked the fourth time he had allowed at least one run in his last six outings. The decisive hit was a double that brought in two runners, pushing the score to 6-0 after Weaver had been down 0-2 in the count.
Jose Caballero, starting his sixth consecutive game at shortstop, had a rough night, making a misplay and getting picked off after a double with one out in the fifth inning.
Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton continued to struggle, hitting just 6-for-51 (.118) with three home runs and 27 strikeouts over the last 15 games.
Rodon’s performance started strong, but he was let down in the third inning. After giving up a leadoff double to Johnny Pereda, he faced trouble when No. 9 hitter Eduard Julian hit a ground ball toward the middle. Caballero barely got a glove on it, failing to make a clean play, which allowed Julian to reach base.
Rodon managed to strike out Byron Buxton for the first out, but then Martin hit what could have been a double-play ball. Caballero attempted to flip it to Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, but the throw was off, allowing the first run for the Twins to cross the plate.
Rodon’s fastball found Brooks Lee for his first pitch of the fifth inning.
At one point, Woods Richardson struck out five Yankees in a row, and Caballero managed a double but was quickly picked off, symbolizing a frustrating night for the team.
