Minnesota @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 25, 2016 ) Minnesota 1, NY Yankees 2

The New York Yankees are winners of three straight games to vault themselves back over the .500 mark as they continue to take advantage of the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees will go for a three-game sweep and their sixth win in seven games against the Twins in 11 days when they host the series finale on Sunday.

New York’s trio of shutdown relievers found themselves in trade rumors with the team toiling under .500 last week and are only upping their trade value while they pull the Yankees back into the race. Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman all tossed a scoreless inning in each of the last three games while combining for 15 strikeouts. Major-league worst Minnesota has dropped three in a row and eight of 11, and managed three hits in Saturday’s 2-1 setback. The Twins fell to 8-26 on the road with that loss and head to Chicago to face the White Sox on Tuesday after leaving New York.

TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), YES (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Tyler Duffey (2-6, 6.18 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Nathan Eovaldi (6-4, 5.02)

Duffey is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation and has not completed six innings in any of his last five starts. The 25-year-old was ripped for six runs on seven hits – three home runs – and did not notch a strikeout over three innings against the light-hitting Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Duffey is making his first career start against the Yankees and is 1-3 with a 4.33 ERA in five road starts.

Eovaldi is enduring his own rough patch of late with 20 runs allowed in 20 innings over his last four turns. The Texas native is having trouble keeping the ball in the park in that span and surrendered six home runs – twice as many as he yielded in his previous eight outings. Eovaldi allowed one home run in three career starts against Minnesota, building up a 2-1 record with a 3.98 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira (knee) went 0-for-3 in his return from the disabled list on Saturday.

2. Minnesota 2B Brian Dozier hit safely in each of his last eight games and recorded at least one extra-base hit in seven straight.

3. New York RF Carlos Beltran is 12-for-28 with three home runs and nine RBIs in his last seven games.

PREDICTION: Yankees 7, Twins 5