Joe Ryan (5-5, 3.36 ERA) got the ball for the finale looking to atone for a rough last outing against Houston, while the Yankees turned to Ryan Weathers (3-6, 4.29 ERA), who's been running on fumes for weeks. First pitch was 1:35 PM ET, and it didn't take long for Minnesota to establish who was in control.
Weathers has been a mess lately — four of his last six starts have gone sideways, and he was chased after just 1.2 innings in his previous turn against Detroit. The Yankees also aren't getting any healthier: Max Fried is still working back from elbow issues, Carlos Rodon just landed back on the IL with inflammation, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. is day-to-day after Wednesday's marathon loss to the Tigers. Minnesota, meanwhile, had its own scare when Byron Buxton left after the first inning with a re-aggravated hip impingement, getting tagged out on a headfirst steal attempt before Kyler Fedko took over in center.
None of that ended up mattering much once Minnesota's bats got going. The Twins strung together runs in five different innings, piled up 12 hits, and never let the Yankees' lineup — already without Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — find any rhythm against the bullpen.
This is now the second straight game the Twins have blitzed this Yankees pitching staff after Saturday's six-homer outburst, and it's the kind of stretch that makes a 43-47 record feel a little misleading. New York, on the other hand, has dropped 4 of its last 5 and is scuffling to find a rotation that doesn't include a scuffling Weathers or an injured Fried.
- Day-To-DayByron Buxton CF — Buxton was removed from Sunday's game against the Yankees due to a re-aggravation of his right hip impingement, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayZebby Matthews SP — Matthews was removed during the fifth inning of Saturday's start against the Yankees due to a right foot laceration, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILRyan Jeffers C — Jeffers (hand) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILAnthony Banda RP — The Twins placed Banda on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left lat strain.
- 15-Day-ILBailey Ober SP — Ober (elbow) struck out one batter and allowed three earned runs on seven hits and no walks over 3.1 innings in a rehab start Sunday with High-A Cedar Rapids.
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel SP — Abel will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands RP — Sands underwent an MRI on Friday that showed healing in his injured forearm, though inflammation was still present, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton RP — Acton (shoulder) resumed throwing off a mound last week, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJazz Chisholm Jr. 2B — Chisholm went 2-for-5 with a double, a run and two stolen bases Wednesday in an 11-inning loss to Detroit.
- 10-Day-ILGiancarlo Stanton DH — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Stanton (calf) has restarted a running program and will take live at-bats against rehabbing left-hander Max Fried (elbow) on Tuesday, David Lennon of Newsday reports.
- 10-Day-ILAaron Judge RF — Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that Judge isn't expected to be ready for a re-evaluation later this week, when he'll be at the four-week mark in his recovery from a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Fried SP — Manager Aaron Boone said Fried (elbow) threw a successful session of live batting practice Sunday and will do so again Thursday or Friday before embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Rodon SP — Rodon said his UCL is intact, but he's dealing with "heavy inflammation" in his left elbow, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILClarke Schmidt SP — Schmidt (elbow) tossed a side session Wednesday and is "a couple of weeks" away from facing live hitters, per MLB.com.
By the time the Yankees finally got on the board in the ninth, it was already academic. Weathers' turn in the rotation is going to keep drawing scrutiny the longer this goes, and Minnesota walks away from the Bronx having flipped a series that looked lopsided on paper the other way.