10 INNINGS

Yankees 4

Twins 3

MINNEAPOLIS – Is the Yankees’ bummer Flaccid Trip over?

With seven games and two cities left on the sojourn, we will find out. But for the first time in more than a week, the Yankees popped out of bed today not having to think about stopping their longest losing streak of the season.

That’s because Ruben Sierra’s sacrifice fly to center off Joe Nathan scored Hideki Matsui from third in the 10th inning to lift the Yankees to a much-needed, 4-3 victory in front of a Metrodome crowd of 45,553.

The victory stopped the Yankees’ bender at six games and improved their record to 28-27.

Tom Gordon, who provided two scoreless innings after Chien-Ming Wang pitched effectively, was the winner and is 1-3. Mariano Rivera recorded the final three outs for his 13th save in 15 chances.

Matsui walked with one out in the 10th and barely made third on Alex Rodriguez’ single to center. Sierra then lofted a fly to center that scored Matsui with the game-winning run.

The Yankees’ problems hitting in the clutch continued. They had one hit – Robinson Cano’s two-run double in the fifth – in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position. They have seven hits in the last 65 at-bats (.108) in the clutch.

The Yankees left the bases loaded in the eighth when they scored a tainted run and didn’t do anything with Jorge Posada and Cano (3-for-4) leading off the ninth with singles.

Wang made a bid not to be skipped the next time Joe Torre decides to keep his starters working on four-days’ rest instead of five. Wang made his first start since May 29 in order for Randy Johnson to work on normal rest.

In seven innings Wang allowed three runs, five hits, walked one, hit another and fanned one.

The lone mistake Wang made was a 1-0 pitch to Jacque Jones in the fourth that Jones swatted to the upper deck in right for a three-run homer and the game’s first runs.

Wang recovered to retire the next three hitters in the inning as well as 12 of the final 13 batters he faced.

The Yankees, who scored 12 runs in the six losses, did very little against Twins starter Joe Mays, who gave up three runs (two earned) in 71/3 innings. The two earned runs they scored off Mays were delivered by Cano, the No. 9 hitter, who doubled home two runs in the fifth and cut the Twins’ lead to 3-2.

Cano opened the eighth with a single to center and made second when Brent Abernathy let shortstop Juan Castro’s throw at the base spill out of his glove after Tony Womack’s grounder was fielded by Castro. Rey Sanchez bunted the runners up a base each in front of Mays intentionally walking Gary Sheffield.

Twins pilot Ron Gardenhire opted to bring lefty J.C. Romero in for Matsui. Romero fell behind, 3-1, before Matsui hit a hard grounder that first baseman Terry Tiffee knocked down. When Tiffee recovered the ball he stepped on first but his throw home was late as, Cano tied the score, 3-3.

Romero walked A-Rod intentionally to load the bases. When Sierra was announced as the pinch-hitter for Jason Giambi (0-for-3), Gardenhire countered with right-hander Juan Rincon.

Sierra, the Yankees’ top pinch-hitter last season, struck out swinging at a 96 mph fastball in his eyes. He is 1-for-11 (.091) as a pinch-hitter this year.

Four the birds

It might be too early to talk magic numbers, but Yankees seem to have found theirs – 4. With their 4-3, 10-inning win last night in Minnesota, Bombers are still winless in game in which they’ve scored fewer than four runs:

W L .PCT

4 or more 28 8 .778

Less than 4 0 19 .000

Total 28 27 .509