Minnesota Twins 4 — New York Yankees 6
Ivan Nova hit some bumps in the road but late game runs helped get him the 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in the 1st of 2 games today. In 7 innings of work, Nova gave up 4 runs on 7 hits with 5 strikeouts. The 4 runs came in the 5th and 6th inning, as he was getting closer to the end of his day of work. Outfielder Josh Willingham did the most damage with 2 runs on 2 hits, the biggest being a two-run home run in the 5th inning. Mariano Rivera continued his fantastic Spring with a perfect inning of work with one strikeout. Rafael Soriano closed out today’s game with a perfect 9th inning with one strikeout as well.
With Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano on the mound, the Yankees were held off the scoreboard for 5 innings. The 6th & 7th inning proved to be what the Yankees needed to get back into the game and never surrender the lead. Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez have spent quality time in the majors and they were big contributors as Pena got the offense started with a solo home run in the 6th and Nunez doubled in two in the 7th. Justin Maxwell and Mason Williams also contributed to the 5-run 7th inning that gave the Yankees the lead.
Win – Ivan Nova (1-2)
Loss – Jeff Manship (1-1)
Save – Rafael Soriano (1)
Notable
Twins
*Josh Willingham – 2 for 3, 2 R, 2B, 2-Run Home Run (2) in the 5th, 2 RBI (6)
*Sean Burroughs – 2 for 3, 2 RBI (2)
Yankees
*Eduardo Nunez – 3 for 3, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI (2)
*Justin Maxwell – 2 for 3, R, RBI (7)
Ryan Nakada
@adakannayr
