Yankees beat up on Twins again to avoid post-playoff clinch hangover

MINNEAPOLIS — As the Yankees prepared for their game Tuesday, the visiting clubhouse at Target Field still smelled of stale champagne, the rug still wet from the morning cleaning it underwent hours after being drenched in a playoff-clinching celebration.Otherwise, there were no signs of a hangover for the Yankees, who got back to work in what their manager called an “uphill battle” to overtake the Rays for the division title.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones went deep while Max Fried turned in his best start since coming off the injured list again, the combination allowing the Yankees to cruise past the Twins 8-1.The only real headache for the Yankees (88-63) was that the Rays kept winning, courtesy of another walk-off home run from Junior Caminero.That meant the Yankees remained 3 ¹/₂ games back for first place in the AL East with 11 games to play, with their chances of catching up to the Rays for the division getting slimmer by the day, even with a four-game set against them awaiting next week.For now, the Yankees controlled the only thing they could by beating up their longtime punching bag, the Twins (70-81).They gave Fried a 2-0 lead before he even took the mound, courtesy of Bellinger’s two-run home run in the first, and then the left-hander ran with it.

Fried completed seven innings for the first time since April 22 and recorded his first win since April 27, as he scattered one run and six hits while walking none and striking out six across 88 pitches.Still working on a pitch count in his fourth start back from a second IL stint for a left elbow bone bruise, Fried was much sharper than his last time out, when he could not make it out of the fourth inning against the Rockies.The Yankees gave him plenty of support as they racked up 14 hits against right-hander Bailey Ober and the Twins bullpen.Every member of...