The Yankees broke out for five runs in the fifth inning on their way to a second straight blow out win vs. the Twins. New York has now nine straight and is 20 games over .500 for the first time in 2021.
Here are a few takeaways…
1. Gerrit Cole (6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 1 BB, 97 P) pitched around a runner on third in three of the first five innings. In the fifth, the Twins loaded the bases with one out, but the next two batters struck out to end the inning.
Josh Donaldson, who called out Cole earlier this season in the sticky substance crackdown, was caught looking to end the threat. He struck out twice against Cole, and is 0-12 for his career against the Yankee ace.
2. Tyler Wade continues to string together successful at-bats. He drove in the first run of the game in the second inning, and doubled on a bloop hit in the fifth, which kicked off a five-run inning.
3. In that fifth, Giancarlo Stanton, who started in right field for the 10th time in 2021, ripped a two-run double down the left field line. Luke Voit did the exact same thing right after Stanton, earning his fifth and sixth RBI over a two-game stretch.
4. In the seventh inning, Rougned Odor called a late timeout at the plate, then hit a practice-swing home run when Twins pitcher Matt Garza threw the ball anyway. Odor K’d on the very next pitch. An inning later, Bronx native Andrew Velazquez hit his first home run as a Yankee and first as a big-leaguer. His family was captured in tears by the broadcast.
5. After Cole, Lucas Luetge (2 IP, 1 ER) and Alex Abreu (1 IP, 0 ER) finished off the Twins.
6. The Yankees now won 5-of-6 this year against the Twins with one more game remaining. They swept them in the mini playoff series in 2020 and took 4-of-6 in 2019, when Minnesota won 101 games.
Highlights
What’s next
The Yankees and Twins are scheduled to finish their four-game series vs. the Twins on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m., though the forecast in New York on Sunday calls for heavy rain. On Saturday morning, Aaron Boone said it would be “pretty surprising” if the Yankees got the game in.
Luis Gil is slated to start for the Yanks, with Griffin Jax scheduled for the Twins.