The New York Yankees desperately needed to snap a four-game losing streak on Tuesday evening after falling to the Boston Red Sox for three consecutive games. Coming off a weekend sweep, the Minnesota Twins offered an opportunity to get back in the win column as a team below .500 on the season.
Thankfully, the Yankees’ offense showed some life in the first game of the series on Tuesday, scoring eight runs and recording 14 hits. The team struck out just five times, showcasing they are more than capable of producing runs on the board on a nightly basis. The top of the order recorded six hits and three RBIs, striking out twice collectively.
The Yankees found their homerun-centric production, especially in the latter portion of the game when Gary Sanchez and Miguel Andujar hit home runs in the ninth inning. Impressively, they also produced with contact hitting, scoring a majority of their eight runs with good baserunning and hitting with others and scoring position.
Good news and bad news for the Yankees:
Experiencing an influx in run production was exactly with the Yankees needed, even if it was against a lackluster team like Minnesota. Simply curating a bit of momentum and positivity was needed after being swept by Boston and falling further down the list on the AL East standings.
One player who has elevated his game recently is catcher Gary Sanchez, recording two hits and two RBIs in the victory. His confidence has not been shaken, despite the Yankees facing their fair share of other issues lately, with Sanchez often times being the punching bag.
“He’s never wavered with his confidence,†Aaron Boone said of Sanchez. “His work has been excellent on both sides of the ball. He’s got a long way to go still, as a lot of us do, to get to where we need to go. But without question, the last few weeks, it’s been more consistency all around for Gary.â€
As for the pitching, starter Johnny Montgomery lasted 5.2 innings, giving up eight hits and three runs. While his performance wasn’t exquisite, he got the job done and allowed the relief pitching to finish off the game with ease. Only Wandy Peralta allowed a run in the ninth, but Minnesota was far gone at that point as the Yankees continue to plaster their bullpen in the latter portion of the game.
It was nice to see the offense pick up the starting pitching, as they’ve been losing games with just one or two runs on the board, so Montgomery allowing three and the Yankees recording eight was an exciting development.