No letdown for Yanks, who cruise past Twins a night after clincher

MINNEAPOLIS – If there was any concern that the Yankees would suffer from a hangover – figuratively or literally – after celebrating Monday’s playoff-clinching victory, they put those thoughts to rest quickly on Tuesday.

Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones homered and Max Fried pitched seven efficient and effective innings as the Yankees beat the Twins, 8-1, at Target Field.

Making his ninth start since returning from two months on the IL, Fried was looking to cut down on his number of pitches per inning so he could work deeper into the game. His game plan worked to perfection, as he needed just 88 pitches (58 strikes) to get 21 outs and ended up with his longest outing since April 22, when he pitched eight innings in a win at Boston.

“It definitely was nice to be able to put what felt like a full start together, not as much limited by pitch count,” Fried said. “Still got up to 88 pitches and finished the seventh, so definitely nice to kind of check that box. But it's a mix of feeling good with where we're at but also knowing that we still have stuff to work on.

“I want to be able to make sure that I'm a little bit sharper coming down to the end. Got a big series coming up against Tampa [Bay] for my next one, so I just want to make sure I'm ready for that.”

Fried (5-4) allowed just one run, coming on a two-out RBI single by Emmanuel Rodriguez in the second inning. Fried then picked off Rodriguez to immediately silence any type of a rally the Twins might have been plotting.

Fried also struck out six and didn’t walk a batter, his first walk-free outing since April 11 at Tampa Bay.

“I like where he's at after that, and hopefully maybe build him a little more in the next one and hopefully more of the same,” manager Aaron Boone said. “But loved how he attacked the strike zone, controlled counts and really had a presence with most of his stuff tonight.”

Bellinger jump-started the Yankees’ attack just two batters into the game when he drove a Bailey Ober four-seamer over the 23-foot wall in right-center for a two-run homer. It was part of a three-hit night for Bellinger that lifted his batting average to .272, his highest mark since June 22.

Bellinger also has four home runs in his past seven games, a span in which he has hit .407 (11-for-27) with nine RBIs.

“I feel like he's been in a good spot now for a few weeks. I just feel like his bat path has been in a really good place -- in the zone a long time, swinging at the right pitches,” Boone said. “Before he got hurt, he hit a little skid there where he was scuffling for a little bit. And he's come out and really found it and is right where he needs to be right now.”

Jones added a three-run shot off left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers to cap a four-run sixth, making the rookie center fielder the 11th Yankee to hit at least 10 home runs this year. That’s the first time the team has had 11 double-digit home run hitters since 2019, when the Yankees hit a team-record 306 homers.

Earlier in the season, Boone used Jones sparingly against left-handers, but after Tuesday’s game he’s slashing .435/.490/.761 against southpaws. Any thoughts of protecting him against lefties seem to be distant memories by now.

“I was easing him in. And he’s kind of kicked that door in,” Boone said with a chuckle. “He's faced a lot of tough lefties, too, and really, I feel like he’s been in control of the at-bats, which is pretty good to see.”

Boone rested Aaron Judge on Tuesday as the Yankees' captain works his way back from his right rib cage fracture. But Boone still used seven of the nine starters from Monday’s game because New York (88-63) needs to keep pace with the Rays (91-59), who beat the Athletics 2-1 on Tuesday and lead the AL East by 3 1/2 games.

But with a four-game set between the teams at Yankee Stadium just a week away, the excitement is already starting to grow in the clubhouse.

“It's going to be playoff baseball,” said Fried, who will likely face the Rays in one of the two games of a doubleheader next Tuesday. “It's two teams, two really good teams, that are going at it. … I'm just excited to be a part of it, and I can't wait for next week.”