Yankees 3, Twins 0
Ivan Nova won his ninth consecutive decision and Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back home runs to lead the visiting New York Yankees to a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Nova (13-4) pitched seven scoreless innings to win his fifth straight start since his recall from the minors. He allowed five hits and struck out five to keep the Yankees atop the AL East Division by a half-game over Boston, which defeated Kansas City 6-1.
Granderson smacked his 35th homer, an inside-the-park blast in the seventh inning. It was his third career inside-the-park homer and put him one behind Toronto’s Jose Bautista for the major league lead.
Teixeira followed with his 34th homer off Jose Mijares, a line drive into the seats in left field, to help the Yankees conclude their seven-game road trip with a 5-2 record.
Alex Rodriguez, playing in his first game since July 7 after undergoing right knee surgery, was hitless in five at-bats while Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to 13 games for New York. Mariano Rivera earned his 33rd save.
Reliever Phil Dumatrait (1-2) allowed one run on two hits to take the loss. Twins starter Nick Blackburn had to leave the game in the second inning due to a right forearm strain.