NEW YORK – If the Yankees could choose any opponent for a get-right series, the Twins might top the list. For more than two decades, they’ve been a familiar source of comfort. Not much has gone right lately in the Bronx, but that history still holds.
Will Warren showcased a fastball that remained lively into the seventh inning and the Yankees launched four solo homers, powering their 6-2 victory on Monday evening at Yankee Stadium.
“I think we’ve been needing that spark,” Warren said. “We’ve been playing flat, I feel like. We got a spark of energy. The past month hasn’t been how we’re supposed to play baseball. We’ve had a gut punch lately, and it was nice to get out there and play baseball the way we’re supposed to.”
Warren allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings, nicked only by a pair of solo shots as the rookie right-hander became the first Yankees starter to complete six innings since he did it himself on July 30 against the Rays.
“He was so good,” catcher Ben Rice said. “I can’t say enough about him just commanding both fastballs in the zone for strikes, getting ahead of guys early, trusting his stuff in the zone and just pitching out there with conviction, confidence and poise.”
Warren walked none and struck out seven, retiring 17 of his first 18 batters in what Twins manager Rocco Baldelli called “one of the most consistent outings and well-executed outings against us all year long.”
“He filled up the strike zone,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “You saw swing and miss with the heater. I thought the sweeper was good. He was on the attack. Big performance. That’s what it’s supposed to look like right there.”
Boone referred to the contest as “a really clean game all around.” And while Rice said “we know we can be better,” this looked closer to the team the Yankees expect to be.
After the Yankees held a seven-game American League East lead on May 28, the last two-plus months have been a slog. They’ve dropped five of their past six series, including two of three to the Astros over the weekend.
The Twins’ arrival offered a potential oasis. Since the start of 2002, the Yankees are 124-44 (.738) against Minnesota, postseason included, and have won eight straight in the matchup.
Yet Boone brushed off the numbers. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez aren’t in his lineup, nor do the Twins have Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer in theirs.
“We’re 1-0 against them this year,” Boone said. “I don’t pay much attention to it.”
Still, the outcome felt familiar. Cody Bellinger opened the scoring with his 21st homer, a blast to right-center off rookie Zebby Matthews in the first. Bellinger has stayed steady despite the club’s uneven play, batting .304 (56-for-184) since June 17.
“We understand what’s at stake, what’s been going on,” Bellinger said. “Guys were all putting in the work today. It’s always nice when the results show.”
Giancarlo Stanton and Rice went back to back in the third. It was Stanton’s 440th career homer, tying Jason Giambi for 44th on the Majors’ all-time list.
“I feel like every single at-bat is a quality at-bat,” Bellinger said of Stanton. “He’s hitting the ball real hard. It’s been really fun to watch.”
Rice, starting again over the slumping Austin Wells, has hit safely in eight of his past 11 games (.294, two homers) after a stretch of hard-hit outs.
“You’ve just got to stick to process over results,” Rice said. “Of course, you’d rather have [a batting average] a little higher than what it is, but as long as you’re continually putting together quality at-bats and hitting the ball hard, good things should happen.”
Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge added RBI singles in the seventh, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered in the eighth before David Bednar closed it out in a non-save situation.
The contest fulfilled what Boone had urged his team to pursue in the early afternoon hours, delivering a message he summarized as: “Keep it small.”
“Keep it real simple. Let’s go handle business tonight,” Boone said. “Let’s go win pitches, let’s go have good at-bats. Let’s go take care of the ball. That’s where it starts. Once that starts to happen, guys get settled in a little bit. That’s when a real run can happen.”
The winning streak stands at one – with the right opponent in town to keep it going.
