NEW YORK — All but one Twins pitcher gave up a home run Monday, as the Twins lost to the Yankees, 5-2, at Yankee Stadium.
The Twins fell to 68-65 while the Yankees improved to 80-54. The Yankees are in first place in the American League East, while the Twins entered the game tied for first in the Central division with Cleveland, which played Kansas City Tuesday night.
The Yankees broke through first in the first inning. Aaron Judge hit a double off Twins starter Chris Archer before coming home on former Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson's single. That lead doubled in the fourth on a Marwin Gonzalez solo homer — the first of three Yankees homers — at the bottom of the order.
Gary Sanchez tied it in the fifth with his two-run homer. Sanchez, who previously played his entire career with the Yankees, came to the Twins during spring training as part of the Donaldson trade. With his 473-footer Monday, Sanchez now has the third- and fourth-longest homers at Yankee Stadium since 2015, per statcast. The top two spots belong to Judge.
The top of the Yankees' order re-established the lead in the sixth. Gleyber Torres hit a leadoff single before Judge's two-run homer with Trevor Megill on the mound. Isiah Kiner-Falefa — who was briefly a Twins player this offseason before the team flipped him to the Yankees — then homered off Emilio Pagan.
Archer went five innings, allowing four hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Yankees starter Jameson Taillon gave up six hits and two walks in his five innings and struck out three.
Austin Davis, making his Twins debut after being claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in time for the roster expansion, struck out the only two batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth.
The Twins were without starting right fielder Max Kepler, who was a late scratch from the lineup with hip tightness. Kyle Garlick took his spot in the outfield. Kepler did come in with two outs in the ninth to pinch hit but struck out.
