Oswaldo Cabrera leads decimated Yankees to walk-off win over Twins

With their roster decimated by injuries — and their lead in the AL East looking unsteady — the Yankees trotted out a lineup for the opener of Wednesday’s doubleheader that was more suited for a spring training game at Fort Myers than The Bronx in September. 

And they played like it, going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position through 11 innings. 

Against the Twins, it didn’t matter, as Oswaldo Cabrera won it with a two-out single to left in the 12th to score Isiah Kiner-Falefa and give them a 5-4 win, their third in a row. 

With the Yankees down a run after Minnesota scored in the top of the inning, Kiner-Falefa led off with a single up the middle to score automatic runner Marwin Gonzalez from second to tie the game. After Estevan Florial struck out, Kiner-Falefa stole second and moved to third on Jose Trevino’s single to right. 

Kiner-Falefa was held at third and Trevino got to second after inducing a rundown. 

Oswald Peraza flied to left, but not deep enough to score Kiner-Falefa before Cabrera delivered the game-winner to get the Yankees’ lead in the AL East back to five games over the Rays, who played the Red Sox Wednesday night. 

Oswaldo Cabrera delivered in the 12 for an injury-marred Yankees lineup. AP Photo

Cabrera had earlier thrown out a runner at home. 

The Twins broke through in the 12th against Ron Marinaccio, who gave up an RBI single to Gilberto Celestino with one out to give them the lead. 

The Yankees squandered chances to win in both the ninth and 10th, as they had Kineer-Falefa on third after a two-out single, stolen base and error by Gary Sanchez and Florial hit what looked like a game-winning hit up the middle, but Carlos Correa made a terrific stop and better throw to get Florial at first. 

In the 10th, after the Twins had Celestino thrown out at home for the first out — and Correa on deck — the Yankees had first and second with one out and Aaron Judge — who’d hit his 55th homer of the season earlier — on deck, when Cabrera hit into an inning-ending double play. 

And with the bases loaded and no one out in the 11th, Ronald Guzman hit into a double play and pinch-hitter Gonzalez grounded to short. 

“These are capable guys and opportunity knocks,’’ Aaron Boone said before the doubleheader. “I felt like we were in these [injury] situations a lot in 2019. These are talented players that have a chance to come up and do something to help us win important games.” 

In front of a sparse crowd, Minnesota’s Luis Arraez crushed the first pitch of the game from Domingo German to the gap in right-center for a double. 

German responded and got Correa swinging for the first out, but Jose Miranda followed with a rocket down the left-field line that stayed fair for a two-run shot. 

Gleyber Torres contributed to the cause with a two-run homer in the sixth. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Minnesota right-hander Louie Varland, in his MLB debut, retired the first eight Yankees he faced before Peraza doubled to left for his first major league hit with two outs in the third. 

But Cabrera grounded out to end the inning. 

German got the first two outs in the fourth before Jake Cave reached on a comebacker. 

Sanchez then lofted a routine fly ball to center, where Florial got a terribly late break and the ball fell in front of him to extend the inning. 

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Celestino made the Yankees pay with a single that scored Cave to make it 3-0. 

Judge’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning cut the Yankees’ deficit to 3-1, as he continues to be a one-man offense for the slumping lineup. 

Judge came up again with one on and one out in the sixth, after Varland was removed following a single by Peraza and a strikeout of Cabrera. 

With right-hander Griffin Jax on the mound, the Twins still decided to pitch to Judge and he popped to second. 

But the next batter up, Gleyber Torres, got the job done- by hitting a 1-2 pitch into the seats in left to tie the game at 3-3. 

It was just Torres’ third homer in his last 33 games, during which he had an ugly OPS of .468. 

German gave up three runs in six innings. Wandy Peralta pitched a scoreless seventh and Jonathan Loaisiga gave up back-to-back singles with one out in the eighth. 

Another ex-Yankee, Gio Urshela, bounced into a force out and pinch-hitter Max Kepler struck out looking to end the threat. 

Peraza singled with one out in the bottom of the inning — his third hit of the game after picking up the first hit of his MLB career in the third inning — and moved to second when Jorge Lopez made a poor throw on a pickoff attempt. 

Cabrera struck out and Judge was walked intentionally to bring up Torres, who flied to right.