Bronx, NY – The Minnesota Twins used the long ball to snap a six-game losing streak.
Trevor Plouffe, Ryan Doumit and Pedro Florimon each homered off New York starter Phil Hughes in Saturday's 4-1 win at Yankee Stadium.
Samuel Deduno (5-4) limited the Yankees to one run on six hits and three walks in seven strong innings.
"He's the guy you want out there," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said about Deduno. "His ball moves all over the place. He had good breaking balls and he was in control pretty much the whole game."
After the clubs traded runs early, Deduno and Hughes (4-9) settled into a pitchers' duel. The score remained tied until the seventh, when Doumit hit a line drive to right field for a solo blast.
Florimon launched a two-run shot to right in the next frame, the fifth and final hit off Hughes, who matched a career-high with 10 strikeouts while tossing 7 1/3 innings.
"You're gonna find times where you're in close games and you just got to bear down and make pitches," Hughes said.
The home run by Florimon came after Gardenhire was ejected for arguing a runner's interference call.
Deduno gave way to the bullpen after pitching out of a seventh-inning jam. New York got a pinch-hit double from Travis Hafner, but stranded pinch-runner Eduardo Nunez at third.
Casey Fien turned the Yankees away in the eighth and Glen Perkins closed the door in the ninth for his 21st save of the season.
New York jumped out to a first-inning lead. Robinson Cano laced a liner off the foot of Deduno and the ball ricocheted into center field, allowing Ichiro Suzuki, who doubled, to score.
Plouffe countered for the Twins in the second by sending a Hughes offering over the wall in left. Plouffe nearly gave Minnesota a lead in the fourth, but a leadoff double by Joe Mauer wound up not hurting the Yankees thanks to a nice defensive play by Luis Cruz. The shortstop made a diving stop to his left to rob Plouffe and fired to first for the final out.
New York also had its chances at moving ahead.
With men on the corners in the fourth, the Yankees attempted a double steal that failed as Zoilo Almonte was tagged out at second. Deduno then struck out Suzuki swinging to end the fifth with two men aboard.
Game Notes
The Yankees lost for the first time in six games against the Twins this season ... Minnesota had lost six straight overall to New York ... Hughes has now dropped his last six starts at home.
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