NEW YORK — The Yankees got the lift they were desperate for Monday night, and it came from a rookie. With the rotation struggling to provide length and the postseason race tightening, Will Warren stepped up at Yankee Stadium, leading New York to a 6-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Rookie delivers when veterans falter
Warren became the first Yankees starter in a month to complete more than six innings, working 6 2/3 strong frames while allowing only three hits. The last to record an out in the seventh was Carlos Rodon, who went eight innings on July 11 against the Cubs.
The 26-year-old’s outing stood out against a stretch of short starts from the rotation. Max Fried failed to pitch deep into his last outing, while Luis Gil, Rodón and others also came up short of six innings in recent turns.
“He filled up the strike zone,” manager Aaron Boone said. “No walks, starting with that, but you saw swing and miss with the heater. I thought the sweeper was good and he fell behind 3-0 a couple times and went right after it and ended up getting those guys out. Big performance, that’s what it’s supposed to look like right there.”
Breaking the drought with efficiency
Warren struck out seven without walking a batter, retiring 17 of the first 18 he faced. He needed only 85 pitches to reach two outs in the seventh inning.
The right-hander (7-5) surrendered solo homers to Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach before Luke Weaver and David Bednar closed it out, giving the Yankees their 23rd win in the last 30 regular-season meetings with Minnesota.
Warren’s velocity was up, topping at 97.1 mph and averaging 94.1 mph, more than a full tick above his season average. His ERA dropped to 4.34 with the win.
Team provides offensive support
The Yankees backed Warren with power. Cody Bellinger opened the scoring in the first with his 21st homer of the year. In the third, Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice went back-to-back to give New York early breathing room.
“I think we’ve been needing that spark,” Warren said. “We’ve been playing flat I feel like and tonight we jumped out there with the Bellinger home run and then obviously we went back-to-back. The past month hasn’t been how we’re supposed to play baseball. We’ve had a gut punch lately, and it was nice to get out there and play baseball the way we’re supposed to.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a solo shot in the eighth, while Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge chipped in RBI singles in the seventh.
Perfect timing against familiar foe
The win marked New York’s first series-opening victory since the All-Star break. Entering the night, the Yankees had dropped five of their last six series and gone 11 games under .500 since June 13.
Minnesota has long been a favorable opponent. Since 2002, the Yankees are 124-44 against the Twins, including postseason, and have won eight straight in the matchup.
Warren’s growing confidence
This start continued an impressive trend for the rookie. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 19 of his 25 starts and is just the fifth Yankees rookie since 1974 to start at least 25 games.
“I think he’s gained a lot of confidence from what he’s been through last year, getting a taste of it up here, coming up this year, taking his lumps at times but also having a lot of success,” Boone said. “I think he realizes he can get really good hitters out with his stuff, and he has that expectation now.”
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli called Warren’s effort “one of the most consistent outings and well-executed outings against us all year long.”
Setting up for crucial stretch
The victory provided much-needed momentum for the Yankees as they face a critical stretch of the season. With over 40 games remaining, they remain within striking distance of a playoff spot, sitting 1.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the second Wild Card position.
“Buncha guys were all putting in the work today and it’s always nice when the results show,” Bellinger said.
Boone referred to the contest as “a really clean game all around,” exactly what the Yankees needed after their recent struggles. The manager emphasized the importance of Warren’s performance in setting up the bullpen for success.
“You get deep into the game, you can set your [top relievers] up and then the offense continuing to tack on a little bit for some insurance was good,” Boone said.
With two more games against the Twins remaining in the series, the Yankees hope Warren’s spark can ignite a sustained run toward the postseason. For now, they can take comfort in knowing their young starter has provided the length and consistency their rotation had been missing.
The Yankees improved to 62-56 with the victory, while the Twins fell to 56-61. Carlos Rodón is scheduled to start for the Yankees on Tuesday night as they look to build on Warren’s momentum.
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