Red-hot Chris Paddack guides Twins against Yankees

Chris Paddack is feeling healthy, and the Minnesota Twins are feeling happy.

On Tuesday night, Paddack will go for his fifth victory in a row when he and the Twins open a three-game series against the New York Yankees in Minneapolis.

Paddack (4-1, 4.34 ERA), who played in just seven games over the 2022 and 2023 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is coming off a win against the Seattle Mariners in his most recent outing last Wednesday. He allowed one run on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, and he matched his season high with 10 strikeouts.

"The 10 ‘punchies' were nice," Paddack said after the game, "but I'm a guy that I want to get deep into games. That's how we win."

The 28-year-old also has earned wins against the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Angels and the Boston Red Sox over his last four starts. He has a 1.93 ERA during that span and has walked three and struck out 28 in 23 1/3 innings.

Paddack's next test will come against the Yankees, who pounded him in his only previous start against them. He allowed four runs on six hits, including three homers, and took the loss in his only career appearance against New York in 2019.

D.J. LeMahieu, Luke Voit and Gio Urshela each took Paddack deep in that game during Paddack's rookie season with the San Diego Padres. But LeMahieu is the only player still with the Yankees, and he is on the injured list with a broken foot.

The Yankees will counter with left-hander Carlos Rodon (3-2, 3.56) in the series opener. Rodon is looking for back-to-back victories after limiting the Houston Astros to two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings in his most recent outing.

On the season, Rodon has walked 14 batters and struck out 43 in 43 innings. He has notched a quality start in three of his last four starts.

In 12 career games (11 starts) against the Twins, Rodon is 6-3 with a 4.62 ERA. He faced Minnesota frequently when he was with the Chicago White Sox but has not pitched against them since 2021, when he went 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA in two starts.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Rodon for his performance this season. Rodon has bounced back from a difficult first season with the Yankees in 2023, when he went 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA in 14 starts.

"He's in a good place, and it's a credit to all the work he's done," Boone said. "It started early in the offseason with his commitment to everything -- pitching, conditioning -- to put himself in position to give himself a chance to have success. He laid all the foundation, and now we're seeing the fruits of that."

The Twins have won 17 of their past 20 games, including a series win against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. They had a day off Monday after returning home.

The Yankees also come in hot, with wins in eight of their last 11 contests. They have won each of their last three series, most recently taking two out of three games on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays.