The Yankees came into Sunday looking for their first road series sweep since a four-game sweep against Oakland in mid-May.
For the first four innings, it looked as if New York would do it. Brian McCann launched a solo shot to put the Yankees on the board in the second. Nathan Eovaldi started strong, retiring 12 of the first 16 Twins.
However, Max Kepler lined a homer to right in the fifth, and the Twins offense continued in the sixth. With runners on, Eduardo Escobar looped a broken bat chip shot over the head of Ike Davis. Brian Dozier scored easily, and Trevor Plouffe avoided the Brian McCann tag at the plate to give Minnesota a 3-2 lead, knocking Eovaldi out of the game.
Kepler struck again, this time with an RBI single, against Dellin Betances. Kurt Suzuki proceeded to double in Kepler, giving the Twins a 5-2 lead. Brian Dozier homered in the seventh to extend Minnesota’s lead to four.
The Yankees threatened in the eighth. Following Ike Davis’ single, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner each reached base on errors. With the score at 6-3, two runners on, and one out, the Yankees brought Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez to the plate. In their biggest threat, New York saw Beltran and A-Rod strike out against Twins reliever Taylor Rogers.
The Yankees didn’t threaten in the ninth, and dropped the final game of their 3-3 six-game road trip.
The Play: Eduardo Escobar’s 3-RBI Triple (+.288 WPA)
Top Performers
Yankees: Brian McCann (3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI)
Twins: Brian Dozier/Max Kepler (Each 2-4, HR) Ervin Santana (7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)
Notes
– With his losing effort, Nathan Eovaldi has allowed 20 earned runs in his last 20 innings. He hasn’t thrown a quality start since May 29th.
– With his 0-3 performance, Chase Headley’s seven game hitting streak ends at seven.
– Brian McCann and Brett Gardner, both who have been enduring slumps, combined for five hits in the series finale.
Up Next
The Yankees have the Rockies again, this time at home. On Tuesday, the Yankees will throw Ivan Nova (5-4, 4.77 ERA, 4.95 DRA) while Colorado will roll out Chad Bettis (5-5, 5.63 ERA, 5.52 DRA), who beat the Yankees in his start last Wednesday.
Photo: Brad Rempel / USA Today Sports