After that, though, Rodón was as dominant as the Twins have ever seen him. He retired 19 of the final 20 hitters he faced, including 15 in a row until issuing a two-out walk to Jeffers in the sixth inning. It was the fifth time in the longtime Chicago White Sox pitcher’s career that he pitched seven or more innings and allowed only one hit.
The Yankees, who have beaten the Twins in nine consecutive games, had far less trouble against Travis Adams. Judge blasted Adams’ seventh pitch of the night, a fastball down the middle, 425 feet over the center-field wall, his 38th homer of the season.
An inning later, Adams walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ryan McMahon, then made the problem worse by allowing Volpe’s 18th home run, to right-center.
Thomas Hatch relieved Adams with the bases loaded in the third inning and allowed Stanton’s second homer in two nights, this one a 447 foot cannon shot that completely cleared the center-field bullpens.
With two runners on base in the seventh, Hatch intentionally walked Judge to load the bases — perhaps a sound strategy, until he also walked Cody Bellinger to force in another run. Kody Funderburk relieved him and gave up a two-run single to Stanton, breaking the game open.
The Twins’ arrival has indeed been a godsend to the Yankees, who have fallen to third place in the AL East after going 2-7 to open August. But it’s been a nightmare for the Twins, who until now had generally been competitive since the trade deadline, with players talking about a new vibe in the clubhouse and new energy on the diamond.