The Minnesota Twins’ slide kept rolling Tuesday night, and this one had the feel of a team getting squeezed from every direction. New York beat Minnesota 8-1 at Target Field to take the series, and the Twins’ offense never found a way to turn a few promising moments into anything lasting.
That loss pushed Minnesota to 70-81, a season-worst 11 games under .500. At this point, even getting back to .500 is looking harder with every defeat.
There were a few bright spots, and Bailey Ober was one of them. He battled his way into the sixth inning and threw 101 pitches, his highest total since April 19 against the Reds. Ober spent most of the night working through traffic, escaping jam after jam and keeping the game from getting out of hand even as the Yankees kept threatening.
But the night started in a hole. Two batters into the game, Minnesota was already down 2-0.
Ben Rice ran Ober through an eight-pitch battle, and then Cody Bellinger followed by launching a two-run home run. Ober ended up allowing nine hits, two walks and three runs in 5.1 innings, and even with all the damage control, he still took the loss.
Minnesota’s offense had its own problems against Max Fried and Ryan Yarbrough. The Twins’ lone run came in the second inning, when Emmanuel Rodriguez drove in a run with an RBI single with two outs. Rodriguez keeps standing out in a tiny sample - just four games - and Tuesday was another night where his at-bats looked sharper than almost anyone else’s in the lineup.
The Twins did put some pressure on New York by stringing together a bunch of infield hits, and that helped them get on the board in the first place. But they couldn’t cash in when the chance to make it a real game showed up.
In the seventh, Kody Clemens opened the inning with a triple and never came home. Those are the kinds of missed chances that have been piling up.
The eighth inning brought the temperature up at Target Field. With Minnesota down 7-1, Emmanuel Rodriguez sent a deep fly ball down the right-field line.
First-base umpire Edwin Jimenez called it fair at first, but the umpires then got together and overturned it before manager Rocco Shelton came out of the dugout. While Shelton was arguing, the play went to video review and came back as a foul ball.
Shelton was tossed, and the whole scene had the look of frustration boiling over. It may not have been only about that one call. It looked like a manager reacting to a team that’s been slipping further and further out of range.
Minnesota will try to salvage the finale before heading out on a West Coast road trip. Zebby Matthews gets the start for the Twins; he’s 9-10 with a 4.98 ERA this season.
The Yankees will counter with Carlos Rodón, who is 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA. First pitch Wednesday is set for 12:40 P.M.
CT on TwinsTV.
In Other News...
Red Sox Could Force A Yankees Wild Card Adjustment
Bostons postseason planning has already started to take shape, and one of the more intriguing ideas involves adding Braiden Ward to the mix as a late-game speed threat. The 27-year-old outfielder has built a reputation around his ability to steal bases in the minors, and interim manager Chad Tracy has acknowledged that side of his game while stopping short of saying anything is settled.
For the Yankees, the possibility matters because the Red Sox are expected to meet them in a Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium. A bench player who can change a game with his legs can alter how a team handles the late innings, from pitch selection to defensive positioning, and New York may need to account for that wrinkle if Boston decides Ward is worth carrying into October. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Volpe Is Making The Yankees Ask One Frustrating Question
Anthony Volpes brief stretch at second base has given the Yankees a fresh look at a move they waited too long to make. Since Jazz Chisholm Jr. landed on the injured list, Volpe has handled the new position in four games without an error, and the early returns have suggested the glove might play anywhere the club needs it. For a team always trying to squeeze more value out of its infield, that kind of smooth transition is hard to ignore.
What makes it frustrating is the timing. The Yankees have spent so much of Volpes young career treating shortstop as the only destination that they may have delayed a change that could have helped both him and the roster sooner. His defensive fit at second base is now in plain view, which leaves the bigger question hanging: whether this is just a temporary patch or the start of a shift that could reshape his path in New York. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Have A Real Luis Garcia Jr. October Question
Luis Garcia Jr. arrived on Aug. 3 as the kind of move contenders make when they want another left-handed power bat for the stretch run, and he has done more than just fit in. Since settling in at first base, he has been a steadier defender while also producing at the plate, giving the Yankees a useful mix of offense and reliability at a spot that can quietly swing October games.
The bigger question now is whether Garcias work at first base can hold up under postseason pressure. Former manager Joe Girardi and broadcaster Michael Kay have both praised the defensive adjustment, but October has a way of testing every new wrinkle, and the Yankees suddenly have to decide how much trust to place in a player whose recent surge has made him a far more important part of the roster than anyone expected when he arrived. [Read more 🡒]