New York @ Minnesota preview
Target Field
Last Meeting ( May 26, 2010 ) NY Yankees 3, Minnesota 2
The Minnesota Twins are starving for offense - and with Javier Vazquez getting the start for the New York Yankees, they just might find some.
Vazquez and the Yankees aim for a sweep of the three-game series today at Target Field as they take on the struggling Twins. New York (28-18) earned two wins Wednesday, edging Minnesota 1-0 in a game suspended Tuesday due to rain before triumphing 3-2 in their regularly scheduled meeting.
Minnesota hit just .219 (14 for 64) in the two defeats, running their losing streak to three games while reducing their lead in the American League Central to one game over the Detroit Tigers. The Twins had chances to earn a split, but grounded into three double plays in the nightcap to come up short.
It was a double-play ball off the bat of Denard Span that ended the opening game.
Minnesota can only hope a visit from Vazquez (3-4) will invigorate their slumbering lumber. Yet, while the Yankees right-hander has one of the highest ERAs in the American League (6.69), he's coming off six innings of one-hit ball in a 2-1 win over the rival New York Mets six days ago.
A 15-game winner with Atlanta last season, Vazquez has shown vast improvement after opening the season as one of the worst starters in the American League. He has gone six or more innings in each of his last two starts, allowing just two runs in that span.
Vazquez hasn't had much success in his career against Minnesota, owning a 6-6 record with a 5.11 ERA in 16 starts.
The Twins counter with right-hander Nick Blackburn (5-1), who is the hottest pitcher on the staff. He has won each of his last four decisions, including a 6-3 triumph against the Yankees on May 16, and went at least seven innings in each of them.
Blackburn, a former 29th-round draft pick, is 1-1 with a 5.33 ERA in five career starts against the Yankees.
Blackburn will need to be wary of the timely homer - the Yankees rode a pair of them to victories Wednesday. Derek Jeter's solo homer in the sixth inning was the difference in Game 1, while Nick Swisher belted a solo shot in the ninth frame as New York rallied to win the late game.
Both players ended lengthy homerless droughts. Jeter's round-tripper was his first since April 30, while Swisher had been held without a homer since May 9.
The two-win Wednesday helped New York pull to within 3 1/2 games of the suddenly slumping Tampa Bay Rays, who have dropped three straight games.
The Yankees have a golden opportunity to make up even more ground over the next week, as they prepare for a seven-game homestand that will see them entertain the Cleveland Indians (17-28) and Baltimore Orioles (15-32).
Minnesota welcomes the Texas Rangers for a weekend series before opening June with a seven-game West Coast trip.