The return of Miguel Andujar, coupled with a rejuvenated Gary Sanchez, made the Yankees’ lineup seem close to normal Saturday, after weeks of Mike Tauchman hitting fifth and Gio Urshela cleanup.

Yet the Yankees responded with one of their worst games of the season — with some shaky defense by Andujar — in a 7-3 loss to Minnesota.

The defeat snapped an eight-game winning streak at home against the Twins and included a subpar outing from J.A. Happ and an offensive performance that showed they do, indeed, need Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton — recent results notwithstanding.

Happ couldn’t produce a third straight solid start on a day the Yankees lost James Paxton to the 10-day injured list with left knee inflammation that forced him from Friday’s game.

After allowing just two runs in 14 innings in his previous two outings, Happ gave up four runs — and a pair of homers — in 5 ²/₃ innings Saturday.

“Obviously, you want better results,’’ Happ said. “I felt about as good as I’ve felt this year and started out strong. I missed a couple of times and they made me pay, and I felt like I made some pitches and they still got hit.’’

He has given up nine home runs on the season, with seven of them coming at Yankee Stadium, where he has pitched poorly this year. In four starts, Happ is 0-3 with a 7.65 ERA in The Bronx, while his ERA is just 1.96 in three outings on the road.

Manager Aaron Boone didn’t put much stock in the disparity, believing they were skewed by bad luck and two good outings on the road leading into this one. Those two starts, in which Happ allowed just two runs over 14 innings, came against the offensively-challenged Giants and Angles.

On Saturday, Happ was partly a victim to the dimensions at the Stadium, with Mitch Garver’s two-run shot in the third barely reaching the short porch in right.

“The game has changed in a way where guys are able to kind of block the ball the other way, especially in this stadium, and put a good swing on it and sometimes that’s enough [to get it out],’’ Happ said. “You’ve got to live with that and try move on and pitch away from that scenario, which isn’t always easy.’’

It could have been worse. Down 2-0 in the fourth, Happ had two on and two out when Jonathan Schoop lofted a fly ball to right, but Cameron Maybin leaped and brought it back to keep the Yankees within striking distance.

With two outs in the sixth, C.J. Cron blasted another homer off Happ, this one to left-center that made it 4-0.

The Yankees got just two hits off right-hander Jake Odorizzi and were unable to capitalize on his four walks before they broke through against Trevor Hildenberger in the seventh, when they trailed 5-0.

Brett Gardner doubled to lead off and Maybin’s single moved him to third.

Gardner scored and Maybin advanced to second on a wild pitch before Austin Romine popped out and Tauchman hit a tapper back to Hildenberger to get Maybin to third. DJ LeMahieu, who hadn’t played since Sunday after fouling a ball off his knee, then delivered a single to left to get the Yankees to within 5-2.

But Luke Voit, whose 42-game on-base streak ended, couldn’t keep the rally going after Blake Parker entered, grounding out to third.

The Twins scored single runs in each inning from the fifth through the ninth, as Boone used the second tier of his bullpen, with none of Joe Harvey, Stephen Tarpley and newcomer Jake Barrett impressing.

Sanchez started the bottom of the eighth with his third homer in two games to make it 6-3, but the Yankees got no closer.

“As it is right now, guys continue to grind away at it and find a way,’’ Boone said of their never-ending injury issues. “And that’s what we need to continue to do and then, over time, continue to get guys back.”