06/01: Yanks Overcome Twins in 12 for 3rd Straight Victory
Posted by: Seamus
The Yankees will enter June with a winning record, as Saturday night's extra inning victory over the Twins put the Yankees above .500 for the first time since May 5. The Yankees won the 12-inning game by a score of 7-6 in a back and forth affair that saw four lead changes and the game tied up twice.
The Yankees got behind early after an RBI single by Justin Morneau in the 1st and a sac fly by Nick Punto in the 2nd. The Yankees came back to take a 3-2 lead in the 3rd after a big two-out, two-run single by Alex Rodriguez, but the Twins tied it back up in the bottom of the inning with a base hit by Michael Cuddyer.
Chien-Ming Wang did not have his best stuff, as he allowed a run in each of the first three innings, and finished with a line of five runs off 9 hits in just 5 and 1/3. After a scorching hot start in which he started the season 6-0, Wang has yet to win a game since May 2.
Wang did leave the game with a chance to pick up the victory, as he left the game with a 6-4 lead. Edward Ramirez, however, allowed his first earned run in the bottom of the 7th, as Cuddyer launched a solo shot to tie the game at 6 (the 5th run scored by the Twins was on an RBI groundout off of Ramirez, but the run was charged to Wang).
That was where the score would stay, as both teams went scoreless for the next four innings before the Yankees finally went ahead for good with an RBI single by Bobby Abreu in the top of the 12th. Mariano Rivera closed the game out and recorded his 15th save, and lowered his E.R.A. to a miniscule 0.36.
These two teams will go at it again this afternoon at 2:10 E.T. The game should feature a good pitching contest, even without a big name on the mound today, as Darrell Rasner and Nick Blackburn both have given impressive starts to this season.
The Yankees got behind early after an RBI single by Justin Morneau in the 1st and a sac fly by Nick Punto in the 2nd. The Yankees came back to take a 3-2 lead in the 3rd after a big two-out, two-run single by Alex Rodriguez, but the Twins tied it back up in the bottom of the inning with a base hit by Michael Cuddyer.
Chien-Ming Wang did not have his best stuff, as he allowed a run in each of the first three innings, and finished with a line of five runs off 9 hits in just 5 and 1/3. After a scorching hot start in which he started the season 6-0, Wang has yet to win a game since May 2.
Wang did leave the game with a chance to pick up the victory, as he left the game with a 6-4 lead. Edward Ramirez, however, allowed his first earned run in the bottom of the 7th, as Cuddyer launched a solo shot to tie the game at 6 (the 5th run scored by the Twins was on an RBI groundout off of Ramirez, but the run was charged to Wang).
That was where the score would stay, as both teams went scoreless for the next four innings before the Yankees finally went ahead for good with an RBI single by Bobby Abreu in the top of the 12th. Mariano Rivera closed the game out and recorded his 15th save, and lowered his E.R.A. to a miniscule 0.36.
These two teams will go at it again this afternoon at 2:10 E.T. The game should feature a good pitching contest, even without a big name on the mound today, as Darrell Rasner and Nick Blackburn both have given impressive starts to this season.
