Yankees open series against Twins

When and where to see

Tonight: Coverage on YES and the YES app begins at 6 p.m. with today’s Yankees batting practice.

Tomorrow: YES & the YES app will show the postgame show directly after the game coverage on Prime, which starts at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday: YES and YES app coverage begins at 6 p.m. on Batting Practice All Access with Meredith Marakovits.

How about that

Aaron Judge and Luis Gil, two of the Yankees’ many standouts as the team went an MLB-record 21-7 in May, were both named monthly honorees on Monday! Judge was named American League Player of the Month after posting a .361 batting average with 12 doubles, 14 home runs, 22 walks and 27 RBIs. May was doubly sweet for Luis Gil, who won both AL Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards by going 6-0 with a 0.70 ERA. In doing so, Gil became the fifth major league pitcher to ever win both awards in the same month — something that hadn’t happened since the Angels’ Matt Shoemaker did the double in August 2014.

Pinstripe Pulse

The Yankees are back home for six games after a 7-2 road win in California, tied with Philadelphia for the best record in the major leagues at 42-19 and 2.5 games ahead of Baltimore at the top of the AL East. Juan Soto’s game-winning two-run home run in the ninth inning on Sunday at the Giants was his fifth game-winning plate appearance this season in the seventh inning of a game or later, tying him with the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman for the most in MLB. Soto’s season totals of .322 batting average, 17 home runs, 53 RBI and a 1.031 OPS are all in the top four in the AL. Judge leads the majors with 21 home runs and a 1.075 OPS. Judge and Anthony Volpe have both reached base safely in 29 consecutive games, tied for the longest streak in MLB this year. Judge’s two-home run game Friday at Oracle Park, where he watched games as a young fan in California, was his 35th multiple home run game, tied with Joe DiMaggio for the fourth-most in Yankees history. Giancarlo Stanton’s RBI ground rule double on Sunday was the 1,500th of his career. DJ LeMahieu has had a surefire hit in four straight games since his season debut on May 28. Michael Tonkin has a 1.20 ERA in 15.0 innings since joining the Yanks. Clay Holmes has had six scoreless appearances since his first earned runs of the year on May 20. Holmes’ ERA for the season is 1.37.

Know the enemy

The Twins, 33-26, have won nine of their last 12 games but are still six games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central and two games behind second-place Kansas City. Eight of Carlos Correa’s 11 hits since May 20 have resulted in extra bases. Ryan Jeffers leads the team with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. Alex Kirilloff has a batting average of just .196 in his last eight games with one stolen base in 14 games since returning from a stint on the injured list due to right knee inflammation.

Closer Jhoan Duran has converted all 10 of his save opportunities this year. Royce Lewis is back in action for the first time since Opening Day, when he strained his right quadriceps. Since 2002, including the postseason, the Twins have gone just 44-120 against the Yankees. Minnesota’s .268 winning percentage is the lowest of any MLB team during that time period against a specific opponent in their own division.

Probable pitchers

After being traded from the Twins to the Yankees as a minor league talent in March 2018, Gil will look to build on his productive May when he takes the mound tonight against his original organization, starting alongside Bailey Ober. Carlos Rodón had a strong May of his own, going 5-0 with a 2.37 ERA, and will make his first start of June tomorrow when he faces Chris Paddack in a rematch of May 14, when Rodón threw six innings with one run and picked up the win while Paddack allowed a career-low 12 hits and took the loss. The series finale will feature another rematch: Marcus Stroman against Pablo López. Stroman threw six scoreless innings and picked up a win on May 15, and López lost despite a good start.

A look ahead to the Dodgers

After concluding their series against Minnesota, the Yankees host Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and the Dodgers for three big games! With so many big names on both sides, including a handful of players who could go on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, you don’t want to miss any of the action. YES and the YES app will have special coverage of the series’ opening game starting at 6 p.m. Friday with a one-hour pregame show from the stadium.

The story of my number

A new show featuring some of your favorite Yankees stars is now streaming on the YES app! Hosted by Gracie Cashman, The story of my number, presented by the New York Lottery highlights pinstripe icons who talk about their lives on and off the field through the prism of the numbers. The next episode, which will feature Nick Swisher, will be released Thursday on the YES app, where you can currently watch previous editions featuring Aaron Boone, Tino Martinez, Andy Pettitte and Don Mattingly. Following Swisher, an episode will drop next Thursday, June 13, spotlighting CC Sabathia.