Twins Fall to Yankees 8-3 for 5th Straight Loss

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius had another big game at Yankee Stadium with a two-run homer and three RBIs, and Gary Sanchez homered twice to help CC Sabathia and New York romp past the Minnesota Twins yet again, 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Aaron Judge hit his seventh home run as the Yankees went deep four times for the second straight night. Gleyber Torres had a pair of hits and his first RBI for New York, which extended a winning streak to four for the first time under new manager Aaron Boone and sent the Twins to their season-worst fifth consecutive loss.

A night after a 14-1 drubbing, New York beat Minnesota for the sixth straight time and improved to 27-9 against the Twins at new Yankee Stadium, including the playoffs. Judge was a triple short of the cycle and Gregorius also had three hits.

Sabathia (1-0) rarely allowed hard contact in his second start back from the disabled list and gave up an unearned run and two hits in six innings. He is 20-9 in 39 regular-season starts against the Twins.

Gregorius hit an RBI single for a 2-1 lead in the third and pulled a changeup just inside the right-field foul pole and into the second deck for a 5-1 margin in the fifth. All eight of his home runs and 23 of his 27 RBIs this year have come at home. Babe Ruth (1921) and Alex Rodriguez (2007) are the only other Yankees with that many homers and RBIs in the first 22 games.

Jose Berrios (2-2) entered with 14 consecutive scoreless innings and had 29 strikeouts and one walk in his first four outings. He allowed five runs, six hits and two walks in four-plus innings, raising his ERA from 1.63 to 2.84.

Dellin Betances entered with a 5-1 lead in the sixth but lasted just four batters, giving up a pair of walks, a hit and another unearned run. David Robertson pitched out of two-on, one-out trouble by striking out Ehire Adrianza and retiring pinch-hitter Joe Mauer on a comebacker.

Judge led off the bottom half with a loud, opposite-field drive to right off Tyler Duffey, who was brought up from the minors before the game for his season debut. Judge became the fastest in major league history to hit 63 career home runs, doing it in 203 games, four fewer than Mark McGwire.

Sanchez, whose second-inning home run tied the score, hit a two-run drive later in the seventh into the netting above Monument Park in center. Judge, arms crossed, gave Sanchez the silent treatment in the dugout before smiling and giving Sanchez a hug.

Errors by Judge in right, Neil Walker at first, Torres while covering first and Betances raised the Yankees' total to 22 in 22 games, tied for the major league lead.

Eduardo Escobar had three hits, a walk and an RBI for the Twins. Brian Dozier went 0 for 4 after getting hits in Minnesota's first 17 games — 24 in a row dating to last season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Twins OF Byron Buxton (migraines) will go to extended spring training after fouling a ball off his left foot Sunday during a rehab assignment with Class A Fort Myers.

UP NEXT

The Twins and Yankees will play the third of their four-game series Wednesday evening in New York (TV: Fox Sports North, Radio: 1240 WJON).