Santana pitches Twins over Yankees
MINNEAPOLIS -- Max Kepler and Brian Dozier hit home runs and Ervin Santana pitched into the eighth inning to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 7-4 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.
The Twins fell behind early but rallied in the middle innings to help Santana earn his first win since May 14.
Kepler finished with three hits for the first time in his career and also stole his first base. Dozier and Eduardo Nunez had two hits apiece and Eduardo Escobar knocked in a pair of runs as the Twins salvaged the final game of the four-game series.
Santana (2-7) had one of his best outings of the season, allowing just three runs -- two earned -- on six hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. For the third consecutive start, Santana didn't walk a batter.
Brandon Kintzler got the final four outs for his second save.
Brian McCann had a pair of homers among three hits to lead the Yankees' offense. Brett Gardner added a pair of hits and scored a run.
Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and a pair of walks in 5 1/3 innings.
The Yankees took an early 1-0 lead on a solo homer by McCann off the facing of the second deck in right-center field. The blast, McCann's ninth, snapped an 0-for-15 skid for the struggling catcher.
Brett Gardner doubled to lead off the fourth and came around to score two batters later when Alex Rodriguez dumped an RBI single into shallow left for a two-run lead.
The Twins cut the lead in half in the fifth on Kepler's scorched line drive that just cleared the overhang in right field for his second home run.
Minnesota got to Eovaldi in the sixth, getting back-to-back one-out singles by Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe ahead of a triple down the right-field line by Escobar. Right fielder Carlos Beltran retrieved the ball and fired home ahead of Plouffe, who slid around the tag of McCann and tapped home plate to give the Twins a 3-2 lead.
Kepler followed with a single to shallow center to score Escobar and close the book on Eovaldi.
After Kepler stole second, Kurt Suzuki kept the inning going by doubling into the left field corner off Dellin Betances for a 5-2 lead.
Dozier added a solo blast in the seventh for a four-run advantage.
The Yankees scored one off an error by Plouffe in the eighth inning and had runners on the corners for both Beltran and Rodriguez, who each struck out swinging to end the threat.
Danny Santana got the run back on the bottom of the inning, singling home Kepler following a one-out double.
McCann hit his second homer of the day off Kintzler to lead off the ninth inning.
NOTES: Yankees LHP Chasen Shreve was activated off the 15-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Shreve had been on the DL since May 26 with a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. Shreve is 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA in 19 relief appearances with the Yankees this season. ... Twins RHP Trevor May had his scheduled bullpen session pushed back to Tuesday after he did some mechanical work on Saturday. If things go well early in the week, May could return to the Twins without a rehab assignment. May has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 10 because of back spasms. ... New York opens a nine-game homestand on Tuesday with the first of two games against the Colorado Rockies. The Yankees will send RHP Ivan Nova (5-4, 4.77 ERA) to the mound against Rockies RHP Chad Bettis (5-5, 5.63 ERA). ... Minnesota will open a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Target Field on Tuesday. RHP Aaron Nola (5-6, 3.51 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Phillies against Twins RHP Tyler Duffey (2-6, 5.56 ERA).