MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Didi Gregorius hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the seventh inning, CC Sabathia had another strong start and the New York Yankees stopped a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory Thursday night over the Minnesota Twins.
Fernando Abad relieved Twins starter Kyle Gibson (0-5) with one out in the seventh to face the left-handed Gregorius, after an infield single and a walk to start the inning. Abad, who had yet to allow a homer all season and took a 0.79 ERA into the game, threw a first-pitch fastball to Gregorius that landed in the right-field seats.
Gregorius is 6 for 11 with seven RBIs in his last three games. Lefties are batting just .125 (4 for 32) against Abad.
Sabathia (5-4) needing 116 pitches to complete six innings, but he struck out seven and retired the last five batters he faced. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his 12th save in 13 attempts.
Former Yankees shortstop Eduardo Nunez’s two-out RBI single in the fourth gave the Twins the lead, ending the scoreless streak for Sabathia at 15 straight innings. But the burly 35-year-old struck out Robbie Grossman to strand two of the nine runners the Twins left on base against him.
The right-hander’s renaissance has been remarkable this season, despite the down year for the Yanks.
Sabathia hasn’t given up more than three runs in any of his 11 turns. Nor has he surrendered more than two runs in any appearance since April. Over the previous three seasons, spanning 69 starts, Sabathia had a 4.81 ERA.
He took the mound at the perfect time for the Yankees, who last week moved above the .500 mark for the first time since they were 4-3, only to drop four straight decisions, including two in Colorado on Tuesday and Wednesday. They’ve begun a two-week stretch during which they play only the Twins and Rockies, 11 times total with three days off.
Gibson faced the minimum 15 batters through five innings, but the first four Yankees reached to start the sixth, with Jacoby Ellsbury’s RBI single tying the game. Carlos Beltran grounded into a double play to end that inning, but more trouble loomed for Gibson in the seventh.
This was only the second time in six starts this season that Gibson, who missed nearly two months with a shoulder problem, pitched into the seventh.
PRAISE FOR NUNEZ
Nunez, who came up in the Yankees system and played parts of four seasons with them before being traded to the Twins in 2014, left plenty of admirers with his original team despite never becoming more than a part-timer. Nunez has flourished this year, entering the game sixth in the league in batting average and third in steals.
“There wasn’t always a lot of playing time for him, and it’s tough for young kids when you don’t always get that consistency,” manager Joe Girardi said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Beltran was back in the lineup in RF after a three-day break, missing two games, because of a sore left knee that prompted a fluid drain and a cortisone shot. Girardi said Beltran, who leads the team with 16 HRs, wanted to play Wednesday.
Twins: 1B Joe Mauer, who has reached base in 27 straight games, the longest active streak in the major leagues, had the night off to rest after the Twins returned home from a three-game trip to face the Los Angeles Angels around 6 a.m.
UP NEXT
Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (3-2, 3.08 ERA) will take the mound Friday, with an extra day of rest. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of 13 starts.
Twins: RHP Pat Dean (1-2, 4.17 ERA) will pitch the second game of the four-game series, his sixth career start.
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