Yankees’ woes disappear as they top Twins for much-needed win

The schedule makers presented the Yankees with a gift this week. An antidote to their struggles. A magic elixir.

Coming off a disappointing series against the Astros, engulfed in an extended dismal stretch that has seen them play their way from the top of the AL East to nearly out of a wild-card spot, luck would have it that the stripped-down Minnesota Twins would be visiting The Bronx starting Monday night.

Suddenly, their woes disappeared. The Twins, the personal punching bag for the Yankees over the past two decades, have that effect on them.

They played their part to a tee, as they have since 2002. The Twins only managed two solo homers off Will Warren in 6 ²/₃ strong innings and the Yankees did enough offensively for a much-needed 6-2 victory, improving to an almost incomprehensible 124-44 (including the playoffs) against the AL Central foe since said year.

The Yankees have beaten them eight straight times and are 30-5 against them at the Stadium since 2015.

Considering how the Yankees have played for a while, entering the night 11 games under .500 since June 12, they’ll take wins any way they can get them. The four-run margin was their largest in a victory since an 11-0 rout of the Cubs on July 11. That was before the All-Star break.

So consider this a minor step in the right direction, a start to a soft portion of the schedule the Yankees really need to take advantage of. Warren fanned five of the first six Twins he faced, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton all went deep in the first three innings, and the result was never really in doubt.

Warren continued his recent run of strong work. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts. In that span, he has a 2.84 ERA. Warren needed just 50 pitches to get through the first four innings of one-hit ball, and became the first Yankees starter to complete six innings since he himself went six on July 30.

It wasn’t until Warren’s 65th pitch, a slider that got too much of the plate, that the Twins scored. Byron Buxton went deep with two outs in the sixth inning for his 24th homer of the year.

An inning later, Trevor Larnach went yard, and Warren was pulled in favor of Luke Weaver. Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge added run-scoring singles to extend the lead in the bottom half of the inning.

The Twins never threatened again, as the Yankees cruised to a rare stress-free victory.

There were a number of positives, from Warren’s sterling effort to Judge coming through with a key hit late after struggling since coming off the IL.

But perhaps the biggest one was this: Two more games against the Twins.