1 hour ago
2
MINNEAPOLIS — There have been a few times this season when it looked like the magic might be running out on Trent Grisham.
Except every time, before long, he reaches back into his bag of tricks and does it again. And then it is the middle of September, with 10 games left in the season, and he has 33 home runs as an integral part of the Yankees lineup.
Grisham’s career year continued Wednesday when he crushed two more home runs to help lift the Yankees to a 10-5 win over the Twins in the rubber game of the series at Target Field.
For the first time since Sept. 7, the Yankees (85-67) picked up a game on the Blue Jays (who own the head-to-head tiebreaker), trimming their lead atop the AL East to four games.
In the more realistic race, the Yankees continued to hold onto the top AL wild card, maintaining a 1 ¹/₂-game lead over the Astros and two games over the Red Sox.
Before Tuesday, Grisham had been stuck in a 1-for-25 rut over his past eight games. But then he homered in Tuesday night’s offensive explosion before adding two more on Wednesday. Since Aug. 20, nobody in the majors has hit more home runs than Grisham (12), who has eight in his past 19 games.
Cody Bellinger added his 29th home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the top of the ninth for some extra breathing room after Fernando Cruz, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver had combined for 3 ¹/₃ shutout innings in relief of an ineffective Luis Gil. Bellinger’s left-on-left shot allowed David Bednar to get the night off as Camilo Doval closed out the Twins (66-86) in the bottom of the inning.
The win preceded another late night for the Yankees, who for the second time on this 10-day, 10-game trip were playing a getaway game at night.
They were set to arrive in Baltimore in the early hours of Thursday morning before they begin a four-game set against the Orioles on Thursday night.
“It is what it is,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “Everyone has to deal with it in some way, shape or form.”
- CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS
A night after Cam Schlittler could not make it through the fifth inning despite being staked to a sizable lead, Gil did the same thing.
Coming off his best start of an injury-abbreviated season, in which he tossed six no-hit innings against the Red Sox, Gil struggled with his command once again and only lasted 4 ²/₃ innings while giving up five runs (four earned) on a season-high nine hits and two walks.
Gil actually had two outs in the fifth inning with a runner on first and a 7-2 lead when it fell apart. He gave up back-to-back singles to Trevor Larnach and Luke Keaschall that brought the Twins within 7-3 before Gil walked pinch-hitter James Outman. Brooks Lee followed with a two-run single up the middle that made it a 7-5 game.
At that point, Boone called on Cruz, who got a fly out to strand a pair of runners and then tossed a scoreless sixth.
The Yankees jumped out to an early lead for the second straight night, this time off former Rays right-hander Taj Bradley. Aaron Judge (3-for-4, walk) roped a two-out double in the top of the first and came around to score on Bellinger’s single to left field.
The Twins took advantage of Gil’s lack of command in the second inning, though, to jump ahead 2-1 on a walk, errant pickoff throw, two singles and a passed ball.
But Grisham tied it with his first home run of the night in the third inning, a 432-foot blast.
In the fourth inning, Paul Goldschmidt and Jasson Domínguez hit back-to-back doubles for the 3-2 lead before Grisham clobbered a three-run shot to make it 6-2.
English (US)