New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins: Brendan Beck vs. Zebby Matthews

The fever breaks!

The Yankees won a baseball game last night, something we haven’t been able to say in more than a week. They now have a golden opportunity to win two games in a row, which isn’t quite a winning streak by my definition but it’s almost a winning streak.

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Rookie Brendan Beck gets the call in a spot start, the first of his MLB career. He had one appearance as a bulk man back in May that didn’t go great, but his numbers at Triple-A Scranton are pretty solid. In 88.1 innings this year he’s struck out 26 percent of batters faced, and his FIP is close enough to the ERA that I’m not terrified by the idea of the former second-round pick getting a start. Still, he is not ready for full-time work as a 26-man starter, so hopefully the Yankees can keep some semblance of offense going.

The Twins send Zebby Matthews to the hill in response. Zebby’s had an interesting 2026, with a career low walk rate matched with a career low strikeout rate. He’s rode the MSP METRO several times between the majors and the famous St. Paul Saints for most of his time in the bigs, and the big key for him sticking with the MLB squad is keeping the ball in the yard. He is top, or rather bottom, 20 in baseball in home run rate, so while he’s lucky he’s missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, there are still guys in this lineup that can go deep.

The Yankees return most of the starting lineup from yesterday, although Anthony Volpe batting fifth makes me rather nervous. Max Schuemann is in center after Spencer Jones’ demotion as the Yanks play it safe with Trent Grisham at DH, and Ali Sánchez catches and bats ninth.

How to watch

Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

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First pitch: 1:35 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, TwinsTV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY) | TIBN, WCCO 830, The Wolf 102.9 FM (MIN)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, MLB.TV (out-of-market only)

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