Zebby Matthews gets the ball for Minnesota on Sunday, July 5 at 1:35 PM ET, and the timing could hardly be better for him. The 26-year-old righty (4-5, 4.15 ERA) has turned in quality starts in 3 consecutive outings — including a 7-inning, 1-run gem against the Astros in his last turn — and arrives facing a lineup that has been historically inert. Ryan Weathers (3-6, 4.08 ERA) counters for New York: a lefty who piles up strikeouts (98 in 88.1 innings) but has been getting beaten over the fence, surrendering 16 home runs on the year with 10 coming in just his last 6 starts. The bigger story in the Bronx isn't the rotation — it's the lineup card. Aaron Judge (stress fracture, right rib) won't be re-evaluated until the 4-week mark and has no timetable for return. Giancarlo Stanton (calf) is also shelved. Ryan McMahon got hit with food poisoning and is stuck on the IL. When Judge — watching from the sidelines — called out his teammates for a "lack of focus," it landed more like a man running out of things to say than a rallying cry. The Yankees have managed just 16 hits over their last 5 games, the fewest over any 5-game span in franchise history per ESPN. A 48-38 record still gives New York a comfortable perch in the AL East. That's real. But the margin that record represents is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now. They've been outscored 32-13 over this 5-game skid — shut out by Detroit's rotation, held to 1 run by the Red Sox — and there's no quick fix on the horizon. Trent Grisham was targeted for activation off his hamstring rehab around July 3, which helps, but a returning outfielder off an IL stint isn't the cavalry this lineup needs. The bigger risks at the plate are the missing ones: Judge and Stanton are a combined zero at-bats until further notice. The Twins aren't world-beaters at 42-46, but they come in with some genuine momentum. Minnesota took 2 of 3 from the Astros to close their road trip, capping it with an 8-3 blowout. Byron Buxton is day-to-day with a hip issue — the ever-present Buxton tax — and the rotation has been gutted all year (Pablo Lopez and David Festa on the 60-day IL, Bailey Ober and Mick Abel also out). But Matthews stepping up has softened that blow considerably. Against a Yankees offense running on fumes and a Weathers who can't keep the ball in the park, Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium sets up cleaner for the visitors than it might look.