All good things must come to an end, and a nine-game winning streak in Grapefruit League/exhibition play only really registers so much as “good.” The Yankees lost a fake baseball game for the first time since February 22nd, and they did so with a starting pitcher who will probably not be a starter for them in 2026 unless there’s an emergency. The Twins won this one before the rains came in Tampa to cut it short at 15-0 in the seventh.
We’ll get the offense out of the way in a hurry. There were two
measly Yankees hits, with the top four names in the lineup—Trent Grisham, Jasson Domínguez, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton—combining to go 1-for-7 with a single (Domínguez) and a walk (Bellinger). The lone other knock came on a Ryan McMahon double. Spencer Jones worked a walk in his only plate appearance, entering in center upon Grisham’s expected departure. Taj Bradley quieted the Yankees lineup through four, and the wonderfully-named duo of Kody Funderburk and Eric Orze did the same for their final two frames.
Paul Blackburn got the ball for the Yankees this afternoon and worked a perfect first before running into trouble in the second. Matt Wallner worked a leadoff walk, erstwhile Dodgers up-and-comer James Outman singled him to third, and after Wallner was retired at home on a comebacker to Blackburn from former Baby Bomber Eric Wagaman, second baseman Tristan Gray did damage with a double. Outman crossed home plate and Minnesota was on the board, 1-0. Blackburn fanned Ryan Kreidler (career OPS+ of 11) and Noah Cardenas (39 career games above Double-A, none in the majors) to strand a pair in scoring position.
Blackburn was victimized again in the third by one of the few true threats in the Twins’ lineup. Luke Keaschall had a 128 OPS+ in 49 games for Minnesota last year, enough to earn down-ballot Rookie of the Year support despite the limited sample. He continued to show his potential on Thursday by smacking a 395-foot solo shot on a fat sweeper that might as well have been on a tee:
Blackburn then walked Trevor Larnach and at 56 pitches, that was the end of his day. Three of his seven outs were K’s, and he might well indeed be a useful reliever for the 2026 Yankees. It’s just advisable to keep him away from the rotation.
Two other Yankees competing for bullpen spots didn’t have their most inspiring days either. Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest entered in the fourth and quickly put Gray on second with a walk and a wild pitch. That was his own doing, but he had some bad luck when Kreidler reached on a 65.7-mph infield single that third baseman Zack Short deflected and after nearly getting out of the first-and-third/no-out jam, Keaschall hit a slow roller to the left side that not even Ozzie Smith could’ve made a play on at shortstop. A run was going to score regardless, but McMahon—filling in at the six to see if he can moonlight as a backup to José Caballero with Anthony Volpe out—made the poor decision to throw it to first anyway. A second run scored and it was 4-0.
One can charitably give Winquest a pass for that inning, bumpy start notwithstanding. The only charity that could be offered to Rockies trade acquisition Angel Chivilli is that this is spring training and he could’ve been just been working on something in a meaningless game that didn’t really pan out. It’s just unfortunate for him since he’s trying to win one of the last spots in the bullpen and is probably best served refining his solid stuff at Triple-A to start 2026. Wallner started it in the fifth against Chivilli with a sharp hit to left that maybe still should’ve been a single but turned into a sure double because Domínguez didn’t get to it fast enough. Outman then obliterated a fastball for a two-run homer.
Chivilli sandwiched a strikeout of Gray between an infield hit from Wagaman and a walk to Kreidler before Cardenas ended his day with an RBI single to left. Minor leaguer Cole Zaffiro didn’t help his line, as another Keaschall hit made it 9-0, Twins, and a five-run day for Chivilli. Under spring training re-entry rules, he was able to return in the sixth for a little more work. Although he allowed a second-pitch double to Triple-A outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez, he at least departed on a high note by striking out a more well-regarded current prospect, Emmanuel Rodriguez.
The scoreboard got truly silly in the sixth, as the Twins tallied six runs against Michael Arias, who will not be sniffing the Opening Day roster. The inning only ended on an out at the plate following a Gonzalez double. It was downright silly. Only the rain provided an end to the madness, as two outs into the seventh, the tarp came on and never left. At least 2025 fourth-round pick Pico Kohn got to have a nice pitching moment for the Yanks in his debut outing.
The Yankees will be back at it again tomorrow night under the lights at George M. Steinbrenner Field. They’ll host their 2025 regular season tenant Rays, with Cam Schlittler taking the mound against fellow righty Joe Boyle for the first time this spring after back inflammation delayed the playoff hero’s start to Grapefruit League play. Utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera says that he’ll be ready for his first game action as well following recovery from his gruesome injury early last year in Seattle. First pitch is at 6:35pm ET on YES.
