In a great irony on this 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, it was the Yankees who assumed the role of the British.
A group composed of more established professionals with better resources and better pay was nonetheless outwilled and upended on a July 4 in which the underdog Twins provided far more fireworks.
The Yankees were 11-4 losers in The Bronx on a sweltering Saturday in front of 40,156, many of whom removed and swung their shirts late trying to inspire the home team — which coincided with a four-run Twins eighth inning that drained any drama remaining in the Stadium.
The Yankees were buried early by call-up Brendan Beck and late by Camilo Doval, the pair combining to give up four of six Minnesota home runs and nine runs (five earned) in 4 ²/₃ innings.
With commemorative patches on a sleeve and the numbers on their backs given a Red, White and Blue makeover, the Yankees looked a bit differently, but they played like the same team that has spiraled for weeks.
Aaron Boone & Co. (49-39) have lost eight of nine and 11 of 14.
Their offense has been ailing and awful, having scored just 46 runs in their past 16 games.
They have not scored more than five runs in a game since all the way back on June 17.
On Friday they welcomed back Trent Grisham and Ryan McMahon, both of whom played roles in snapping a skid, but a day later the attack stalled in the game’s biggest moments.
The Yankees did climb some of the way back from a 6-0 hole, but going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position combined with Doval’s flop in the eighth ensured they could not complete the comeback.
Doval, whose stuff continues to astound yet has an ERA that hovers around 5.00, entered a game the Yankees were trailing 7-4 and could not pitch around a Jazz Chisholm Jr. error that opened the inning.
The Twins sent seven men to the plate and scored four runs on a Byron Buxton sacrifice fly, Kody Clemens single and Josh Bell’s second home run of the afternoon.
The Tarps Off crew quickly lost enthusiasm, the revolutions per minute of their shirts fading.
More problematic than the bullpen recently has been the starting pitching.
With Carlos Rodón moved to the injured list with elbow inflammation on Friday, Beck was called up and then lit up.
In his second career major league game, the 2021 second-round pick lasted just 3 ²/₃ innings in which he served up five runs on three homers.
The Twins began the game with a walk, double and Clemens home run, putting the Yankees in a 3-0 hole that these days often feels insurmountable.
It took Beck 23 pitches to record his first out and 32 to escape the first, and the second inning offered little relief.
Luke Keaschall and Alex Jackson launched back-to-back home runs, inviting loud boos from a crowd that had little to cheer until a rally from the Yankees — who did show more fight than usual over the past couple weeks — began stirring in the fourth.
Jasson Domínguez put a dent into the deficit with a solo home run.
An inning later, the Yankees sent eight hitters to the plate in a three-run fifth, in which the biggest blows were a two-run homer from Max Schuemann and an RBI double from Cody Bellinger.
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But with two on in a two-run game, Domínguez grounded out sharply to end the threat.
They threatened again in the sixth, when Anthony Volpe (single), Chisholm (beautiful bunt single) and Schuemann (walk) loaded the bases with one out.
But a pair of pinch hitters — Amed Rosario against righty Travis Adams and Paul Goldschmidt against lefty Taylor Rogers — could not come through in the Yankees’ last and best chance to steal the game.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
