Yankees aim to turn the page on a rough pitching day as Joe Ryan faces a left-heavy lineup

The Yankees and Twins close out their three-game series on Sunday, July 5 with a clear pitching-versus-hitting contrast. Minnesota is expected to lean on Joe Ryan, a right-hander who will face New York’s first six spots that feature multiple left-handed hitters, including switch-hitting outfielder Jasson Domínguez. The Yankees’ approach is tied to getting early leverage against the best Minnesota has in its rotation.

On the other side, New York will counter with Ryan Weathers. A Yankees-versus-Twins preview from Yahoo Sports emphasized Weathers’ “reverse splits” concept, framing the goal as taking advantage of how left-handed batters have historically fit better against him even if the broader data has tightened this season. That matters because Minnesota’s lineup includes several bats that typically profile well against right-handed pitching.

The broader stakes are modest but not meaningless. According to an ESPN pregame page, the series is tied 1-1. The Yankees enter holding the stronger overall position in their division race, listed at 49-39 overall and second in the American League East, while the Twins sit at 43-47 and third in the AL Central. For New York, a split at minimum stabilizes a stretch in which their recent results have not been sharp; ESPN’s recent-form notes had the Yankees 2-8 in their last 10 games with an offense-and-pitching differential that left them outscored.

The expected pitching matchup provides the primary storyline. ESPN listed Joe Ryan with a 3.61 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season, along with 113 strikeouts. Weathers was listed with a 4.08 ERA and 1.21 WHIP and 98 strikeouts. Those season marks set up the chess match the previews are pointing toward: can New York’s left-right-left sequencing stress the Twins starter early, or will Minnesota’s top option blunt the Yankees before they can build innings?

Minnesota’s bats to watch start with Byron Buxton, who ESPN listed among the team’s most active power producers this year. On the Yankees side, ESPN highlighted Ben Rice as their leader in extra-base hits, and Amed Rosario as a hitter who has produced during a recent window. Both teams also have recent momentum tied to specific hitters, with ESPN noting the Twins’ record in games when they score at least five runs, and also pointing to New York’s slugging strength as a reason the Yankees can threaten even when they are not consistently stringing together multiple scoring opportunities.

In the background, both clubs carry a roster-construction reality that affects game-day depth. ESPN’s injury lists included multiple players on both sides, with Yankees names such as Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodón, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried, and Clarke Schmidt listed on the IL categories, and Twins names such as Ryan Jeffers, Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews (day-to-day), and others also listed. The specific availability question for this game can still shift right up to first pitch, but the bigger point is that Sunday’s lineup will reflect whatever remains healthy and ready for each team’s late-season stretch.

What to watch next is whether the early order matchup decides the tone. If New York can sustain plate pressure in the first turns through the lineup, it forces Joe Ryan to face multiple left-handed and switch-batting decisions with fewer easy outs. If Minnesota turns the early at-bats into contact and run prevention, the Yankees will likely need to make longer at-bat quality decisions to create leverage later, particularly against a starter with a track record in the middle of the rotation.