NEW
YORK -- For the third straight game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi rolled
out all three rocket arms that make up the back end of his bullpen.
Hard to hold off when they're so automatic.
"You have to win today. Tomorrow doesn't mean anything," Girardi said.
Starlin Castro drove home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning with a sharp one-hopper scored an error on shortstop Eduardo Escobar, and New York edged the Minnesota Twins 2-1 Saturday with another dose of dominant relief pitching.
Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller (5-0) and Aroldis Chapman combined to throw three scoreless innings for the third consecutive game in a four-day span. The trio had teamed up to set down 26 consecutive batters during that stretch before Joe Mauer singled on a 99 mph fastball from Chapman with two outs in the ninth.
"We have so much confidence in all three of those guys out there and it's crazy that every time they come (in), we expect them to be perfect," Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran said. "Hopefully as a team we can score more runs so that we can give those guys a break here and there."
Chapman struck out Brian Dozier on a 100 mph fastball for his 15th save in 16 tries, finishing a three-hitter. Dozier homered leading off the second against Michael Pineda, who yielded two hits in six effective innings.
Brett Gardner got three hits, Beltran delivered an RBI single and 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez sparked the decisive rally by hustling for an infield single.
Brian McCann also had a key hit, and the Yankees (37-36) surged back above .500 with their third consecutive victory and sixth in eight games.
"We all believe our best baseball is coming," McCann said.
New York is 12-0 when Betances, Miller and Chapman pitch in the same game. The "No Runs DMC" relief corps has racked up 15 strikeouts in the past three games.
In fact, the threesome had not allowed a ball out of the infield during that span until Gardner ran down Eduardo Nunez's long drive to left-center leading off the ninth.
"They're amazing talents," Chapman said through a translator. "And the fact that we're working together as a team and winning games, you know, I'm having a lot of fun."
Betances threw nine pitches in the seventh -- all strikes.
"I think they have one of the best pitching staffs in the whole game," Escobar said through a translator. "When you get to the bullpen, you are basically done."
Rodriguez opened the eighth with a dribbler toward third. Playing deep, Nunez charged in but was unable to make a barehanded scoop and Rodriguez was safe at first without a throw.
Pinch-runner Aaron Hicks, going on a 1-2 pitch, easily reached third when McCann singled off Ryan Pressly (2-4) just inside the right-field line. Mark Teixeira, activated from the disabled list before the game, struck out on 10 pitches before Castro hit the ball sharply a short step to the left of Escobar, who was playing just behind the infield grass.
A clean pick could have given Escobar a chance at an inning-ending double play. But the in-between hop skipped off his glove and into the outfield, allowing Hicks to score the go-ahead run.
"There was not much you can do but throw your glove at it," said Escobar, charged with his second error of the game. "That's not an excuse, but it was hit pretty hard."
Minnesota, with the worst record in the majors at 23-51, has lost three straight following a three-game winning streak.
ON TOP OF HIS GAME
Pineda, inconsistent much of the season, walked one and struck out eight -- including Mauer three times. "I think you can look at his last five or six starts, they've been pretty good. I do think that's a good sign," Girardi said.
THAT WAS QUICK
Twins starter Ervin Santana, who pitched 7 1/3 innings to beat the Yankees last Sunday, allowed six hits in five-plus innings. He had gone a career-best three consecutive starts without a walk before issuing a free pass to his first batter, Jacoby Ellsbury.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: 3B Trevor Plouffe missed his second consecutive game after straining his right groin Thursday. But he went through hitting, fielding and running drills and it appears he won't need to go on the disabled list, general manager Terry Ryan said.
Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia, who rolled his right ankle twice during Wednesday's outing against Colorado, was set to throw a bullpen and remains on track to make his next scheduled start.
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-4, 5.02 ERA) starts on six days' rest in the series finale Sunday against RHP Tyler Duffey (2-6, 6.18). Eovaldi has lost consecutive starts, including last Sunday at Minnesota. He is 1/3 with a 9.00 ERA in his past four outings.
Minnesota Twins
Hard to hold off when they're so automatic.
"You have to win today. Tomorrow doesn't mean anything," Girardi said.
Starlin Castro drove home the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning with a sharp one-hopper scored an error on shortstop Eduardo Escobar, and New York edged the Minnesota Twins 2-1 Saturday with another dose of dominant relief pitching.
Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller (5-0) and Aroldis Chapman combined to throw three scoreless innings for the third consecutive game in a four-day span. The trio had teamed up to set down 26 consecutive batters during that stretch before Joe Mauer singled on a 99 mph fastball from Chapman with two outs in the ninth.
"We have so much confidence in all three of those guys out there and it's crazy that every time they come (in), we expect them to be perfect," Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran said. "Hopefully as a team we can score more runs so that we can give those guys a break here and there."
Chapman struck out Brian Dozier on a 100 mph fastball for his 15th save in 16 tries, finishing a three-hitter. Dozier homered leading off the second against Michael Pineda, who yielded two hits in six effective innings.
Brett Gardner got three hits, Beltran delivered an RBI single and 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez sparked the decisive rally by hustling for an infield single.
Brian McCann also had a key hit, and the Yankees (37-36) surged back above .500 with their third consecutive victory and sixth in eight games.
"We all believe our best baseball is coming," McCann said.
New York is 12-0 when Betances, Miller and Chapman pitch in the same game. The "No Runs DMC" relief corps has racked up 15 strikeouts in the past three games.
In fact, the threesome had not allowed a ball out of the infield during that span until Gardner ran down Eduardo Nunez's long drive to left-center leading off the ninth.
"They're amazing talents," Chapman said through a translator. "And the fact that we're working together as a team and winning games, you know, I'm having a lot of fun."
Betances threw nine pitches in the seventh -- all strikes.
"I think they have one of the best pitching staffs in the whole game," Escobar said through a translator. "When you get to the bullpen, you are basically done."
Rodriguez opened the eighth with a dribbler toward third. Playing deep, Nunez charged in but was unable to make a barehanded scoop and Rodriguez was safe at first without a throw.
Pinch-runner Aaron Hicks, going on a 1-2 pitch, easily reached third when McCann singled off Ryan Pressly (2-4) just inside the right-field line. Mark Teixeira, activated from the disabled list before the game, struck out on 10 pitches before Castro hit the ball sharply a short step to the left of Escobar, who was playing just behind the infield grass.
A clean pick could have given Escobar a chance at an inning-ending double play. But the in-between hop skipped off his glove and into the outfield, allowing Hicks to score the go-ahead run.
"There was not much you can do but throw your glove at it," said Escobar, charged with his second error of the game. "That's not an excuse, but it was hit pretty hard."
Minnesota, with the worst record in the majors at 23-51, has lost three straight following a three-game winning streak.
ON TOP OF HIS GAME
Pineda, inconsistent much of the season, walked one and struck out eight -- including Mauer three times. "I think you can look at his last five or six starts, they've been pretty good. I do think that's a good sign," Girardi said.
THAT WAS QUICK
Twins starter Ervin Santana, who pitched 7 1/3 innings to beat the Yankees last Sunday, allowed six hits in five-plus innings. He had gone a career-best three consecutive starts without a walk before issuing a free pass to his first batter, Jacoby Ellsbury.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Twins: 3B Trevor Plouffe missed his second consecutive game after straining his right groin Thursday. But he went through hitting, fielding and running drills and it appears he won't need to go on the disabled list, general manager Terry Ryan said.
Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia, who rolled his right ankle twice during Wednesday's outing against Colorado, was set to throw a bullpen and remains on track to make his next scheduled start.
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-4, 5.02 ERA) starts on six days' rest in the series finale Sunday against RHP Tyler Duffey (2-6, 6.18). Eovaldi has lost consecutive starts, including last Sunday at Minnesota. He is 1/3 with a 9.00 ERA in his past four outings.
1:05PM,EDT,June 25,2016
Yankee Stadium, New York, New York
Yankee Stadium, New York, New York
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Minnesota - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Núñez flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Grossman struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Mauer struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Ervin Santana pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Ellsbury walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Gardner singled to right, Ellsbury to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Beltrán lined out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Rodriguez struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| McCann flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Dozier homered to left (403 feet). | 1 | 0 |
| Kepler struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Escobar flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Park lined out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| 1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Ervin Santana pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Teixeira grounded out to first. | 1 | 0 |
| Castro lined out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Gregorius grounded out to second. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Suzuki singled to right center. | 1 | 0 |
| Buxton lined out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Núñez flied out to center. | 1 | 0 |
| Grossman flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Ervin Santana pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Headley popped out to third. | 1 | 0 |
| Ellsbury flied out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Gardner grounded out to first. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Mauer struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Dozier lined out to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Kepler walked. | 1 | 0 |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Ervin Santana pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Beltrán singled to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Rodriguez struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| McCann flied out to right. | 1 | 0 |
| Teixeira walked, Beltrán to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Castro flied out to center. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Park struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| Suzuki grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 0 |
| Buxton struck out swinging. | 1 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Ervin Santana pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Gregorius flied out to center. | 1 | 0 |
| Headley lined out to first. | 1 | 0 |
| Ellsbury singled to left. | 1 | 0 |
| Gardner singled to center, Ellsbury to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Beltrán singled to center, Ellsbury scored, Gardner to second. | 1 | 1 |
| Rodriguez flied out to right. | 1 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| Michael Pineda pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Núñez grounded out to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Grossman grounded out to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Mauer struck out looking. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Ervin Santana pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| McCann singled to deep right. | 1 | 1 |
| Rogers relieved E. Santana. | 1 | 1 |
| Teixeira grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, McCann safe at second on error by shortstop Escobar. | 1 | 1 |
| Castro grounded into double play, third to second, McCann out at third, Teixeira out at second, Castro to first. | 1 | 1 |
| Gregorius struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Dellin Betances pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Betances relieved Pineda. | 1 | 1 |
| Dozier grounded out to second. | 1 | 1 |
| Kepler grounded out to pitcher. | 1 | 1 |
| Escobar struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Taylor Rogers pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Headley grounded out to first. | 1 | 1 |
| Ellsbury struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| Gardner singled to center. | 1 | 1 |
| Beltrán grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Gardner out at second. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Andrew Miller pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Miller relieved Betances. | 1 | 1 |
| Park struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| Suzuki grounded out to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Buxton struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| New York - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Ryan Pressly pitching for Minnesota | MIN | NYY |
| Pressly relieved Rogers. | 1 | 1 |
| Rodriguez reached on infield single to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Hicks ran for Rodriguez. | 1 | 1 |
| McCann singled to right, Hicks to third. | 1 | 1 |
| Teixeira struck out swinging. | 1 | 1 |
| Castro grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Hicks scored, McCann safe at second on error by shortstop Escobar. | 1 | 2 |
| Gregorius singled to left, McCann to third, Castro to second. | 1 | 2 |
| Headley flied out to left, McCann out at home. | 1 | 2 |
| 1 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Errors | ||
| Minnesota - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Aroldis Chapman pitching for New York | MIN | NYY |
| Chapman relieved Miller. | 1 | 2 |
| Hicks in right field. | 1 | 2 |
| Núñez lined out to left. | 1 | 2 |
| Grossman grounded out to shortstop. | 1 | 2 |
| Mauer singled to left. | 1 | 2 |
| D. Santana ran for Mauer. | 1 | 2 |
| Dozier struck out swinging. | 1 | 2 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
Minnesota Twins
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Núñez 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | .310 | .341 | .463 |
| Grossman LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .274 | .401 | .487 |
| Mauer DH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .273 | .370 | .393 |
D. Santana PR
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .281 | .333 |
| Dozier 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .248 | .333 | .424 |
| Kepler RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | .242 | .314 | .407 |
| Escobar SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | .275 | .303 | .377 |
| Park 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .194 | .279 | .417 |
| Suzuki C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .273 | .312 | .416 |
| Buxton CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | .194 | .233 | .331 |
| Totals | 30 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 126 | |||
| BATTING HR: Dozier (9, 2nd inning off Pineda 0 on, 0 Out) RBI: Dozier (30) Team LOB: 3 | ||||||||||
| FIELDING E: Escobar 2 (8, ground ball 2) DP: 2 (Núñez-Dozier, Grossman-Suzuki). Outfield Assist: Grossman (McCann at Home). | ||||||||||
Game Information
| Stadium | Yankee Stadium, New York, NY |
| Attendance | 40,075 (80.7% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:44 |
| Weather | 81 degrees, sunny |
| Wind | 7 mph |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Alfonso Marquez, First Base - Larry Vanover, Second Base - David Rackley, Third Base - Chris Guccione |
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