Twins’ struggles against Yankees continue with 9-5 loss

The Twins continue to have a New York Yankees problem. 

While the offense fared a little better in the second of their three-game series in New York, the Yankees lineup proved too much to handle in a 9-5 Twins loss Wednesday night. The Twins are now 0-5 against the Yankees this year and have plated just seven runs in those games. 

The Yankees (44-19) got going right away, plating four runs in the first inning off Twins starter Chris Paddack. Aaron Judge drove a run in with a groundout to second base, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single and Gleyber Torres hit a two-RBI double as New York took an early 4-0 lead. 

Paddack recovered after that, sending the Yankees down in order over the next three innings, but he ran into trouble again in the fifth inning when New York plated four more runs.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli turned to Diego Castillo after the Yankees loaded the bases off Paddack, and Castillo gave up a bases-clearing triple to Judge and a sac fly to Alex Verdugo. 

That made it an 8-0 Yankees lead.

The final line for Paddack was six hits and seven runs while fanning seven across four innings. 

Carlos Rodon turned in a solid start for the Yankees, allowing just two runs off three hits while fanning nine across six innings. Both those runs came during the sixth inning when Carlos Santana hit a solo homer and Carlos Correa hit a sacrifice fly to center field get the Twins (33-28) within 8-2. 

But the Yankees added another run in the bottom of the inning. Josh Staumont relieved Castillo with the bases loaded but gave up a walk to Judge that made it a 9-2 Yankees advantage.

Royce Lewis, in just his second game back on his 25th birthday, hit his second homer in as many days in the seventh inning, a 373-foot solo shot to left field, to make it 9-3. The Twins added one more run in the frame when Byron Buxton scored Jose Miranda with a ground out to third base. 

𝗥𝗼𝘆𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻!!#MNTwins #MLB pic.twitter.com/GQOVGuPbXF

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 6, 2024Lewis is just the third player in Twins history to homer in each of his first three games in a season.

Staumont sent the Yankees down in order in the seventh inning, and the Twins gave themselves a puncher’s chance in the eighth inning, getting within four runs when Correa scored Kyle Farmer — who led off the inning with a double — with a ground out to second base.

Steven Okert, meanwhile, shut out the Yankees in the bottom of the frame.

But former Twin Michael Tonkin sent his old team down in order in the ninth to close out the game. The two teams meet for the third of the three-game series Thursday. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m.