Ex-Yankees lead Twins to win over former team

Sonny Gray pitched seven scoreless innings and Joey Gallo hit his sixth home run of the season as the Minnesota Twins beat the New York Yankees 6-1 on Monday in Minneapolis.

The Twins prevailed thanks to two ex-Yankees who struggled during their time in New York.

Gray (3-0), who posted a 4.51 ERA in 41 games with the Yankees in the final two months of 2017 and all of 2018, held the Yankees to three hits and two walks while striking out eight. He ended the night with a major-league-best 0.62 ERA -- just ahead of the 0.64 mark of Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

Gray induced 10 groundouts and improved to 34-25 since leaving the Yankees.

Gallo socked his third homer since returning a right intercostal strain that prevented him from playing in the teams' four-game series April 13-16 in New York. It was his 13th homer in 57 games since leaving the Yankees, for whom he batted .159 with 25 homers in 140 games in 2021-22.

Gallo's 432-foot blast to right field off Greg Weissert staked Gray and the Twins to a 4-0 lead in the fourth after they produced a three-run third.

Jorge Polanco hit a two-run, bases-loaded single against New York rookie Jhony Brito (2-2) to open the scoring, and Byron Buxton followed with an RBI groundout. Polanco, playing his fourth game since returning from the injured list, added an RBI double in the sixth.

Carlos Correa added an RBI triple in the eighth after Yankees right fielder Franchy Cordero was unable to make a play at the warning track.

The Yankees lost for the third time in four games and were held to three runs or fewer for the ninth time in 11 games.

The Yankees threatened after Gray was out of the game.

Aaron Judge reached on an error to load the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Twins reliever Griffin Jax struck out Anthony Rizzo on three pitches to escape the jam.

The Yankees also loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth against Jovani Moran. Oswaldo Cabrera hit an RBI groundout to third, but Moran quickly finished it by retiring Jose Trevino on a foul fly and then striking out Aaron Hicks.