MINNEAPOLIS — A six-run sixth inning helped lift the Yankees to a 7-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday as New York took two of three games in the weekend series at Target Field.
Third baseman Chase Headley drove in two runs in the sixth inning and second baseman Stephen Drew added a two-run homer as the Yankees won their second straight game after losing the series opener.
The Twins outscored the Yankees 15-1 through the first 12 innings of the series. New York went on to outscore Minnesota 15-2 the remainder of the three-game set, including Saturday’s 8-5 win.
New York right-hander Nathan Eovaldi notched his 10th win of the season after allowing two runs on eight hits in eight-plus innings. Eovaldi is unbeaten in his last seven starts, going 5-0 during that stretch. He faced one batter in the ninth before giving way to reliever Justin Wilson.
Twins starter Kyle Gibson gave up six earned runs for his second straight outing as he dropped to 8-8 with a 3.48 ERA. He has lost two in a row after winning four consecutive starts.
Staked with a 1-0 lead through four innings, Gibson gave a run back in the top of the fifth when Yankees third baseman Chase Headley hit a leadoff homer to right field to tie the game at 1-1.
Gibson ran into more trouble in the sixth and recorded just one out in the inning before getting the hook from manager Paul Molitor. Left fielder Brett Gardner led off the inning with a single, and Gibson walked DH Mark Teixeira and catcher Brian McCann on a total of nine pitches to load the bases.
After striking out right fielder Carlos Beltran for the first out, Gibson gave up an RBI single to first baseman Garrett Jones as the Yankees took a 2-1 lead. Headley struck again one batter later as his base hit to right scored Teixeira and McCann and broke the game open for a 4-1 New York advantage.
That ended Gibson’s day after 94 pitchers. Left-hander Ryan O’Rourke came in to face shortstop Didi Gregorius, whose sacrifice fly added another run. One batter later, Drew hit a two-run homer to right off O’Rourke for a 7-1 Yankees lead.
Minnesota got on the board in the third inning when right fielder Torii Hunter’s groundout to third base scored center fielder Aaron Hicks. Eovaldi settled down after that and faced the minimum in the fourth through sixth innings.
Third baseman Trevor Plouffe drove in a run in the bottom of the ninth when his single scored DH Miguel Sano from second base. Plouffe now has 55 RBIs on the year, tied for the Twins lead.
NOTES: One day after hitting three home runs, Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez was not in New York’s lineup for Sunday’s series finale. Manager Joe Girardi said it was simply a scheduled day off for Rodriguez, who turns 40 on Tuesday. … Girardi said the team still has no plan for Tuesday’s starter against the Texas Rangers. Girardi noted the team has options both on the 25-man roster and at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. … Twins SS Danny Santana was out of the lineup Sunday, with Eduardo Nunez playing shortstop. Manager Paul Molitor said he liked the matchup of Nunez against Yankees RHP Nathan Eovaldi. … Molitor was not in Cooperstown, N.Y., this weekend for the induction ceremonies. It’s just the second time since he was inducted in 2004 that he hasn’t made the trip for the induction weekend. … Minnesota has an off-day on Monday before beginning a two-game series Tuesday at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates. … New York continues its road trip Monday by starting a four-game series against Texas in Arlington.