The New York Yankees might benefit from a full night’s rest heading into their next game.
New York will try to even a three-game series at one win apiece when it faces the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
The Yankees looked lifeless at the plate in the series opener on Monday, when they fell 7-0. Manager Aaron Boone’s team notched only two hits in the loss.
“It felt like we had some chances early and didn’t take advantage,” Boone said. “Just not a good night for us offensively.”
The defeat followed a long night for the Yankees, who played the Red Sox in prime time on Sunday in Boston before boarding a late flight to Minneapolis for a game less than 24 hours later.
With the loss, the Yankees (83-67) fell five games behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays (88-62) in the American League East with 12 games remaining in the regular season.
New York remains on top of the AL wild-card standings. The Yankees have a one-game lead over Boston (82-68), which holds the second wild-card spot, and a 1 1/2-game lead over the Houston Astros (82-69).
The Twins (66-84) have no such hopes of reaching the postseason. They already have been eliminated from contention, but manager Rocco Baldelli still sees opportunities for bright spots in the season’s final 12 games.
One such positive happened Monday as Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson tallied a career-high 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings.
Baldelli believes the victory was important for his team’s confidence.
“Seeing the entire team step up, play aggressively, pull away — there were just real positive things going on all the way around,” Baldelli said. “That’s going to bring a smile to my face.”
Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler (3-3, 3.05 ERA) is scheduled to make the 12th start of his rookie campaign on Tuesday. The 24-year-old from Northeastern University has 63 strikeouts in 56 innings.
Schlittler is aiming to win back-to-back starts for the first time in his brief big-league career. He earned a victory on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, who managed only one run on five hits in six innings against him.
This will be Schlittler’s second career start against the Twins. He faced them at home Aug. 13, when he allowed one run on two hits in five innings but drew a no-decision.
Meanwhile, Twins right-hander Zebby Matthews (4-5, 5.06 ERA) is set to make his 15th start. He is looking to bounce back from a rocky performance last week against the Los Angeles Angels, who battered him for five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Matthews, 25, has made one career start against the Yankees. He took the loss after giving up three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings in New York on Aug. 11.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge remains on 48 home runs and 102 RBIs for the season after going 0-for-1 and drawing three walks in the series opener. Judge has 12 home runs in 44 career games against the Twins.
–Field Level Media
