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| Young, Twins rally past Yankees MINNESOTA 6, NY YANKEES 5 |
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Jon Avise PA Sportsticker Contributing Writer MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Delmon Young has had some painful struggles in his first season with the Minnesota Twin last week's numerous, costly defensive blunders and zero home runs in 2008, for instance. But mixed in with the frustration have been flashes of his potential, and on Monday the young outfielder delivered more than the promise of a bright future with three RBI doubles in a hard-fought 6-5 win over the New York Yankees that helped Minnesota earn a split of the four-game series. Young's final run-scoring double put the Twins ahead for good in the eighth - one inning after Joe Mauer belted his first home run of the season to tie it at 5-5. "He's 22 years old and he's trying," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Young. "Are there issues? Yes. He's not perfect (but) he's fun to watch." Righthander Matt Guerrier (3-1) picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of near-flawless relief as the Twins came from behind three times before taking the lead on Young's final run-scoring double of the night, a shot to right off pitcher Kyle Farnsworth (0-2). "Obviously, we didn't make pitches when we needed to make them and that's why we lost the game," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Closer Joe Nathan shut down the Yankees in the ninth for save No. 15 on the year. But things didn't begin as brightly as they ended for Minnesota. Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees didn't waste any time jumping on Minnesota starter Livan Hernandez, though. With Derek Jeter on first and one out, the third baseman crushed the first pitch he saw from Hernandez, driving it over the left-center field wall for a 407-foot, two-run homer. It was one of four Yankees hits in the first and staked lefthander Andy Pettitte to an early 2-0 lead - the first that he would squander on the night. "We gave (Pettitte) three leads and he's frustrated, I know he is," Girardi said after the loss dropped New York to a game below .500. "He wasn't able to make his pitches when he needed to." Minnesota halved the Yankees' lead in the second. Young knocked a two-out double off the high wall in right to score Michael Cuddyer, and the Twins knotted the contest an inning later thanks to the latest installment of the Carlos Gomez show. The rookie speedster, acquired in the offseason from the New York Mets in the Johan Santana trade, lined a one-out single, danced off first and ended up on third base when Pettitte's pick-off attempt ended up in the Yankees' bullpen down the right field line. The center fielder then scored when Alexi Casilla followed with a bunt single to tie the game. The Yankees reclaimed the lead in the sixth, plating two runs on RBI singles from Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon. Minnesota evened the score in the home half of the sixth courtesy of a fielder's choice and Young's second RBI two-bagger of the night. Young has caught criticism recently for his inside-out swing that has seen him fail to consistently turn on pitches and drive the ball to left. On Monday, all three of his extra-base hits were sprayed the opposite way and, frankly, Young couldn't care less. "Center field, left field, right field ... I'll take it for what it is," he said. The Yankees struck again, scoring a controversial seventh-inning run when Rodriguez - who in replays appeared to be out - slid home safely in a bang-bang play after Jason Giambi's bouncer to first. But Minnesota clawed back yet again, thanks to Mauer's first home run of the season, an upper-deck bomb that evened things at 5-5. "It's just stupid to give him a chance to hurt me," Pettitte said of the catcher's solo blast. Cuddyer led off the eighth for the Twins with a double off the right field wall before scoring on Young's clutch hit, and he helped set the stage for the dramatic double with his cannon arm the previous half-inning. Jeter led off the inning by ringing Guerrier's pitch off the blue baggy in right field but was cut down at second by a perfect throw from Cuddyer, Minnesota's major league-leading 18th outfield assist of the year. "He absolutely mashed that ball," Cuddyer said of Jeter's shot. "And I knew it was gonna come right back to me." New York then went quietly into the night, managing just a lone single in the ninth. |
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