Twins drop series opener to Yankees, 5-1

Chris Paddack gave up 12 hits and five runs across five innings of work.

May 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Chris Paddack (20) / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Verdugo hit a two-RBI double and Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo homer to power the New York Yankees to a 5-1 victory over the Twins Tuesday in the series opener at Target Field in Minneapolis. 

The Yankees (28-15) got to Twins starter Chris Paddack for five runs and that was enough to power their victory. Oswaldo Cabrera hit a sacrifice fly that scored Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe hit an RBI double during the second inning to give New York an early 2-1 lead. 

Paddack allowed 12 hits and five runs while fanning four across five innings of work. 

The Twins (24-17) struck first when Ryan Jeffers led off the first with a solo homer to left-center field. 

Stanton hit a solo homer in the third inning to extend the Yankees’ advantage to 3-1. They added two more runs to that lead in the fourth inning when Verdugo hit the two-RBI double to center field. 

The Twins, meanwhile, couldn't get much going against Yankees starter Carlos Rodon. Rodon did give up six hits but allowed just the one run on Jeffers' homer while fanning six across six innings.

The Twins bullpen gave them opportunities to get back into the game. Jay Jackson came on in relief of Paddack and pitched a pair of hitless innings. Steven Okert pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Josh Staumont pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning. The Twins just couldn't string any hits together.

Ian Hamilton pitched a pair of scoreless innings, holding the Twins to one hit and preserving the New York advantage. Clay Holmes, who came into the game with a 0.00 earned-run average, kept his stellar season going, sending Alex Kirilloff, Carlos Santana and Edouard Julien down in order to close out the game for the Yankees.

The Twins and Yankees meet for the second of their three-game series at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday.