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Yankees Eye Historic Season Sweep Against Twins
For 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday, the New York Yankees flirted with perfection against the Minnesota Twins. Though the perfect game and no-hitter slipped away, the Yankees secured another win and now set their sights on completing a season sweep of the Twins on Thursday night before welcoming the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yankees’ Dominance and Historical Context
The Yankees are on the brink of their first season sweep of the Twins since 2009, the same year they clinched their last World Series title. Riding high on a seven-game winning streak, they aim to make it eight, something they haven’t achieved since June 2022.
In their five meetings this year, the Yankees have outscored the Twins 28-7, showcasing their dominance. After losing last year’s season series to the Twins 4-3, their first such loss since 2001, New York has bounced back in a big way.
Recent Game Highlights
Pitching Excellence: Carlos Rodon was nearly untouchable, retiring the first 16 hitters and giving up just two runs over six innings. His performance highlights the strength of the Yankees’ pitching rotation this season.
Offensive Contributions: The Yankees’ bats were on fire. Aaron Judge extended his on-base streak to 31 games and drove in five runs, including a bases-clearing triple. Anthony Volpe also stretched his on-base streak to 31 games with three hits. Contributions from Giancarlo Stanton (RBI single), Gleyber Torres (two-run double), and Alex Verdugo (sacrifice fly) further powered the Yankees’ offense.
Manager Aaron Boone praised the team’s consistent, tough at-bats, saying, “We’ve got a really good offense, and the homer’s a big part of that, but what you’re seeing is a group of hitters that night in and night out are taking tough at-bats.”
Twins’ Struggles
Offensive Woes: The Twins have struggled mightily against the Yankees, hitting just .140 this season with only eight hits in the series. Despite home runs from Carlos Santana and Royce Lewis, their offensive output has been lacking.
Manager’s Reflection: Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli acknowledged the need for significant improvement, saying, “From beginning to end, we have improvements to make when we’re playing this team. We haven’t played well against them this year, and it’s five games now and we need to do better. We need to do a lot better.”
Pitching Matchup
Marcus Stroman (Yankees): Stroman, with a 5-2 record and a 2.73 ERA, is gunning for his third straight win. He has consistently allowed two earned runs or fewer in eight of his 12 starts this season. In his last outing against the Twins, Stroman was dominant, holding them to two hits over six innings in a 4-0 victory.
Pablo Lopez (Twins): Lopez, at 5-5 with a 4.84 ERA, ended a three-start losing streak with a strong showing against Houston, allowing just one run over seven innings. However, he has struggled historically against the Yankees, with an 0-2 record and a 2.95 ERA in three career starts.
Conclusion
The Yankees are poised to make history with a season sweep of the Twins. With strong pitching and a potent offense, they’re in an excellent position to achieve this feat. The Twins, facing significant offensive struggles, will need a stellar performance to prevent the sweep. The anticipated pitching duel between Stroman and Lopez adds an extra layer of excitement to this decisive game.
