Yankees batter Twins early, cruise to win
MINNEAPOLIS -- The New York Yankees knocked around Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Dean, plating a horde of early runs against the rookie left-hander in an 8-2 win on Friday night at Target Field.
Carlos Beltran had three hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning and Chase Headley reached base four times as the Yankees won for the second time in as many nights against the Twins. New York entered the four-game series on a four-game losing skid.
Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka pitched eight innings of one-run ball, scattering seven hits and walking none while striking out five.
Eduardo Escobar was the only Twin to reach base more than once as Minnesota lost its fourth consecutive game. Escobar had three hits and finished a triple short of the cycle.
The Yankees scored four runs in the first inning against Dean, and grabbed the lead just five pitches into the game. Jacoby Ellsbury singled to lead off the game and Rob Refsnyder doubled into the left-center field gap to get the rally started.
The support was more than enough for Tanaka (4-2), who was efficient in his pitch count, allowing more than one runner to reach base in an inning just twice.
Tanaka has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his last six outings, lowering his season ERA to 2.91.
Ellsbury and Refsnyder got the inning started for the Yankees before Beltran punctuated the inning with two-run blast into the second deck in left field for a quick three-run lead against Dean.
A walk and a double by Headley put two more runners in scoring position for Didi Gregorius, who legged out an infield single, allowing another run to score, in a four-run first inning.
The Twins got one back on an RBI groundout by Max Kepler in the second before the Yankees scored three more in the third and ended Dean's night.
New York loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk and scored on Gregorius' RBI ground out.
Twins right-hander Neil Ramirez entered and surrendered a two-run double to Austin Romine, closing the book on Dean. The rookie left-hander allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks in just 2 1/3 innings.
Starlin Castro added an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning to give the Yankees an 8-1 lead.
NOTES: The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes by rain. ... Yankees OF Aaron Hicks was in the starting lineup, batting ninth and playing in left field. Hicks, a first-round draft pick of the Twins in 2008, was traded from Minnesota to New York during the winter for C John Ryan Murphy. ... Twins OF Miguel Sano (strained hamstring) is ahead of schedule in his recovery and could head out on a rehab assignment as soon as next week. Sano has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 1. ... Twins OF Darin Mastroianni, who has been on the disabled list since May 25 with a strained oblique, began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Mastroianni has appeared in seven games with the Twins this season, with zero hits in 11 plate appearances. ... New York and Minnesota will play the third contest of a four-game series on Saturday afternoon at Target Field. The Yankees will send RHP Michael Pineda (3-7, 5.88 ERA) to the mound against Twins RHP Ricky Nolasco (3-4, 5.12 ERA).