NEW YORK -- After three consecutive walk-off defeats, the Minnesota Twins got their misery out of the way early Monday night, when Glen Perkins turned a two-run, first-inning lead into a four-run deficit and got yanked after recording only two outs.
The Twins didn't fold, putting the potential tying run on base in the ninth inning, but in the end, it was just another loss at Yankee Stadium.
The New York Yankees got two home runs from Mark Teixeira and held on for a 7-6 victory, completing the four-game sweep.
The loss dropped the Twins to 3-23 in regular-season play at Yankee Stadium since Ron Gardenhire took over as manager in 2002. This time, they arrived in New York in a three-way tie for first place in the AL Central and were genuinely excited to see the Yankees' new $1.5 billion stadium.
By Monday night, the Twins couldn't wait to leave after losing four games by a combined five runs, including two in extra innings, to fall 3½ games behind the first-place Tigers.
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The Twins had hoped to leave the Big Apple on a good note, heading into tonight's game in Chicago, when they jumped to their 2-0, first-inning lead.
But that lead was gone after Perkins faced three hitters.
Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon grounded singles through the infield, and Mark Teixeira smashed a three-run homer. Alex Rodriguez made it back-to-back home runs with another blast into the left-field seats.
Of the first seven Yankees hitters, Perkins recorded only one out -- Nick Swisher's fly to the left-field warning track. Melky Cabrera and Francisco Cervelli added run-scoring singles, making it 6-2 before manager Ron Gardenhire replaced Perkins with knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
It was the shortest start for the Twins since Sept. 18, when Perkins lasted an inning at Tampa Bay.
After posting a 1.50 ERA in his first three starts, going eight innings each time, Perkins has a 9.39 ERA in his past five starts.
After the game, the Twins placed Perkins on the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation in his left elbow. He will undergo an MRI exam today in Minneapolis. The Twins will call up left-handed reliever Sean Henn from Class AAA Rochester.
The six-run inning was the Yankees' biggest of the year. Dickey stopped the bleeding, and allowed only three hits in four scoreless innings.
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Leading off the fourth inning, Michael Cuddyer launched a home run over the Twins' bullpen in left-center field. Carlos Gomez singled, stole second base and scored on a two-out bloop single by Denard Span in the sixth, trimming the lead to
6-4.
The switch-hitting Teixeira homered off Luis Ayala to lead off the seventh, giving him home runs from both sides of the plate for the seventh time of his career. Span pulled the Twins back within two runs with a one-out home run off Edwar Ramirez in the eighth inning.
After going 1-for-25 with runners in scoring position in the series' first three games, the Twins finished 3-for-13 this time, including run-scoring singles by Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the first inning.
Mauer went 1-for-4 with two fly outs to the warning track against Pettite. Morneau finished 4-for-5 -- the seventh time in his career he's had four or more hits, but Phil Coke struck him out with Mauer on first to end the eighth inning.
Coke also pitched the ninth, as the Yankees gave closer Mariano Rivera the night off. The Twins scored one run, but after issuing a two-out walk to Gomez, Coke got pinch hitter Mike Redmond to ground out to second base.
Yankees 7, Twins 6
MinnesotaNew York
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ab r h biab r h bi
Span lf5 1 2 2Jeter ss5 1 2 0
BHarrs 2b5 1 2 0Damon lf4 1 1 0
Mauer c4 1 1 1Teixeir 1b4 2 2 4
Mornea 1b5 0 4 1ARdrgz dh3 1 1 1
Crede 3b4 0 0 0Swisher rf4 0 0 0
Tolbert pr0 1 0 0Cano 2b4 1 2 0
Kubel dh4 0 0 0MeCarr cf4 1 2 1
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Cuddyr rf4 1 1 2R.Pena 3b4 0 1 0
Gomez cf3 1 2 0Cervelli c2 0 2 1
Punto ss4 0 1 0
Rdmnd ph1 0 0 0
Totals39 6 13 6Totals34 7 13 7
Minnesota200 101 011 6
New York600 000 10x 7
E--Punto (3). DP--Minnesota 1. LOB--Minnesota 12, New York 7. 2B--B.Harris (4), Morneau 2 (11), Cano (10). HR--Span (2), Cuddyer (4), Teixeira 2 (10), A.Rodriguez (4). SB--Gomez (4). CS--Punto (1), Cano (1). S--Cervelli 2.
IP H R ER BB SO
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Minnesota
Perkins L, 1-3.2 7 6 6 0 0
Dickey4.1 3 0 0 1 1
Ayala1.1 3 1 1 1 2
Breslow.2 0 0 0 0 1
Crain1 0 0 0 0 0
New York
Pettitte W, 4-16.2 12 4 4 1 3
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Veras H, 21-3 0 0 0 1 0
E.Ramirez H, 12-3 1 1 1 1 0
Coke S, 1-31 1-3 0 1 1 2 1
Breslow pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.
HBP--by Pettitte (Gomez). WP--Coke. PB--Mauer. Balk--Perkins.
T--3:29. A--43,244 (52,325).
