Minnesota @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 22, 2014 ) NY Yankees 5, Minnesota 4

The New York Yankees look to follow up a winning road trip when they host the Minnesota Twins in the first of three games Friday night. The Yankees won four of their last five games on their nine-game voyage, capped by Wednesday's 7-4 win at St. Louis. New York has struggled of late to produce similar success at home, going 3-7 in its last 10 games at Yankee Stadium.

Minnesota comes to town to begin a five-game road trip after dropping three of four at home to Texas to begin the week, including the last two by one run. The Twins are 9-26 against the Yankees since the start of the 2009 season and only 9-31 at New York since 2002, but they have split the last 12 meetings in the Bronx. Minnesota first baseman Joe Mauer has a hit in eight of his last nine games overall and is a .348 career hitter in 17 games at the current Yankee Stadium.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Ricky Nolasco (2-5, 6.12 ERA) vs. Yankees LH Vidal Nuno (1-1, 5.49)

Nolasco's difficult first season with Minnesota continued Sunday at San Francisco when he allowed seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings, breaking a string of four straight starts in which he surrendered exactly three runs. The outing left him at 1-3 with an 8.63 ERA in six road starts. The 31-year-old has never faced the Yankees.

Nuno is coming off the longest start of his career, lasting seven innings and giving up three runs in a 4-3 win at the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Since a rocky outing against the New York Mets on May 13, he has let up five earned runs in 13 innings while walking only two batters. Nuno, who has never encountered the Twins, has given up 21 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings at home this year while surrendering six homers and walking 12.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees C Brian McCann is 20-for-58 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs against Nolasco.

2. New York 1B Mark Teixeira is day-to-day with inflammation in his right wrist.

3. Twins OF Oswaldo Arcia went 7-for-17 with a home run and three doubles in the series versus Texas.

PREDICTION: Yankees 6, Twins 4