The New York Yankees turned a midweek game in Minnesota into another reminder that their young outfielders are no longer just filling innings.
Spencer Jones drove a three-run homer to center field in the sixth inning Tuesday, and the Yankees beat the Twins 8-1 at Target Field.
Cody Bellinger had already put New York in front with a two-run homer in the first. He went 3-for-4 and later talked about what he sees when Jones steps in against left-handed pitching.
“It’s been amazing. I mean, his swing is, it’s a really good swing, and mentally, he understands what he wants to do against [left-handers] and he understands what he needs to do against them,” Bellinger said. “Righty or lefty on the mound he doesn’t seem phased. He has a good approach.”
That assessment matches the numbers Jones has put up as a rookie.
The 25-year-old left-handed hitter is batting .435 with a .490 on-base percentage and .761 slugging percentage against southpaws. Those splits cover 46 at-bats, three home runs and 12 RBI.
For the season, Jones is hitting .259 with a .331 on-base percentage and .452 slugging mark. He has 10 home runs and 37 RBI in 78 games.
He has been even sharper this month, batting .340 with a .415 on-base percentage and .532 slugging percentage over 13 games.
The Yankees needed the extra offense. They improved to 88-63 with their third straight win and seventh victory in eight games.
Max Fried handled most of the work on the mound. The left-hander allowed one run on six hits over seven innings, walked none and struck out six.
Ryan Yarbrough finished the night with two scoreless innings.
New York scored before Minnesota ever came to bat. Ben Rice singled to open the game, and Bellinger followed with a 399-foot homer to right-center field.
The Twins cut the lead to 2-1 in the second on an RBI single from rookie Emmanuel Rodriguez. George Lombard Jr. answered in the third with an RBI single of his own.
The game stayed within reach until the sixth. Rice reached on an error, Bellinger walked and Heliot Ramos doubled home a run to make it 4-1.
Jones then crushed a 423-foot drive into the second deck off left-hander Taylor Rogers for his 10th homer of the season. Jose Caballero added an RBI single in the ninth.
New York had already won the series opener 8-3 on Monday. The finale is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
Bellinger’s comments carried weight because he has shared an outfield with Jones through the rookie’s ups and downs this year. Jones debuted in May, went back and forth between the majors and Triple-A, and has now settled into a regular role as the Yankees push toward October.
Left-handed hitters often struggle against left-handed pitchers, especially early in their careers. Jones has done the opposite. The Yankees have kept putting him in the lineup anyway, and Tuesday offered another reason why.
Rogers is the kind of veteran reliever teams summon to get same-sided hitters out. Jones still got the ball in the air to the deepest part of the park and cleared the wall with room to spare.
The rest of the lineup chipped in. Ramos, Lombard Jr. and Anthony Volpe each had two hits, and Bellinger’s three-hit night set the tone from the first inning.
Minnesota fell to 70-81 and has lost seven of its last nine games.
For the Yankees, nights like this are less about one box score and more about whether the younger pieces can keep producing next to established names. Jones is one of those pieces, and Bellinger did not sound like a teammate offering polite clubhouse praise.
He sounded like someone who has watched the at-bats up close and likes what he sees, no matter which hand the pitcher uses.
