For several weeks, things rarely went according to plan either at the plate or on the mound for the New York Yankees as they dropped in the standings.
On Monday, the Yankees played one of their cleanest games in recent weeks and won a series opener for the first time since the All-Star break. On Tuesday they can secure their third series win since the break when they host the Minnesota Twins.
The Yankees won a series opener for the first time since Cody Bellinger hit three homers in an 11-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on July 11. New York is 10-15 since Bellinger's big game.
Still the Yankees continued to dominate the Twins by hitting four solo homers and getting 6 2/3 innings from Will Warren in a 6-2 victory on Monday.
Bellinger hit his first homer in 12 games before Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice hit back-to-back homers and Jazz Chisholm Jr. went deep as the Yankees slugged four homers for the 13th time this season.
"We got a spark of energy and it was like this is how we're supposed to play baseball," Warren said. "The past month hasn't been how we're supposed to play baseball and we've had a gut punch lately and it was nice to get out there and play baseball the way we're supposed to."
After taxing their bullpen for weeks and struggling at times in the late innings, Warren became the first Yankees starter to finish six innings since he did it on July 30 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I would say it's clean, but I know we can be better," Rice said.
The Twins are 5-27 in the regular season against the Yankees in New York since the start of the 2015 season and 7-25 in their past 32 regular-season games vs. the Yankees.
Minnesota's Byron Buxton homered in his return from a 13-game absence caused by a ribcage injury and is hitting .314 (44-for-140) with 14 homers over his past 37 games. Buxton's homer occurred on a night when the Twins were held to three hits or fewer for the 11th time and struck out 11 times.
"It's good," Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said of Buxton rejoining the club. "He took some good-looking swings for the most part and connected on one of them. It was good to have him back in the lineup. He always does something good for the team."
Minnesota is expected to add another hitter to the lineup on Tuesday when Matt Wallner is due to be activated off the paternity list. Wallner is hitting .306 (11-for-36) with five homers over his past 11 games but may not be in the starting lineup.
Carlos Rodon (11-7, 3.35 ERA), who is 2-2 with a 4.64 ERA in his past six starts, will get the start for the Yankees. The left-hander has completed six innings only once in that span. He is coming off his second straight no-decision, when he allowed two runs on six hits and throwing 93 pitches in five innings during New York's 3-2 win at Texas on Wednesday
Rodon is 8-3 with a 4.24 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) against the Twins. He earned a pair of wins against them last season, when he allowed a total of three runs in 12 innings on May 14 in Minnesota and June 5 in New York.
The Twins did not announce a starter and are expected to go with a bullpen game before Joe Ryan pitches on Wednesday. Zebby Matthews pitched 5 2/3 innings on Monday, and only Brooks Kriske and Erasmo Ramirez worked in relief.
--Field Level Media
