Yankees nearly no-hit by Twins’ Jake Odorizzi | Rapid reaction

Jake Odorizzi threw 7 1/3 hitless innings vs. the Yankees as New York fell, 3-1, at Target Field.

MINNEAPOLIS — On Tuesday night, Yankees manager Aaron Boone talked about his team needing badly to regain its killer instinct.

About 24 hours later, they almost didn’t even get a hit.

And their lead for the chance to host a do-or-die playoff game fell to just one game.

Jake Odorizzi held the Yankees hitless through 7 1/3 innings. Starting pitcher Luis Severino appeared angry with Boone when he removed him from the game, jawing at him while walking off the field fuming.

And Minnesota beat the Yankees, 3-1, bringing New York closer to needing to fly to Oakland for the American League Wild Card Game. The A’s beat Baltimore 10-0 on Wednesday.

The Yankees were up by 5 1/2 games on Sept. 1.

Breaking it up

With one out in the eighth, Greg Bird blasted a run-scoring double to left-center field off Odorizi’s first-pitch 93-mph fastball. That ended Odorizzi’s no-hitter. He threw 120 pitches.

Luke Voit, who had walked in the previous at-bat, scored, and Minnesota’s lead was cut to 3-1. That brought in reliever Trevor Hildenberger.

Minnesota manager Paul Molitor immediately pulled Odorizzi, who smiled with his teammates around him on the mound and walked off slowly, the frenzied crowd roaring for him.

Odorizzi never had a chance at a perfect game, walking Giancarlo Stanton to start the second inning.

The Yankees stranded Bird there, with Gleyber Torres and Andrew McCutchen each striking out swinging.

Odorizzi outdueled Severino, who just about matched him for as long as Severino pitched. Odorizi struck out five and walked three.

Severino, meanwhile, allowed just one baserunner — a single to start the game — through his first five innings. He unraveled in the sixth. 

Severino had come into the night hoping he’d turn around an awful stretch, posting a 6.83 ERA in his previous 11 starts while surrendering 76 hits and 13 home runs in 55 1/3 innings.

What it means

The Yankees dropped their second game in a row and the second of their last three series. They also lost two of three games to the A’s in Oakland last week.

Familiar feeling

Going into the night, the Yankees had been held hitless into the sixth inning twice in the last two weeks. It happened on Sept. 4 in Oakland and Aug. 31 at home vs. the Tigers. They actually won both games.

Falling behind

The Twins broke the scoreless tie in the sixth.

After Max Kepler’s shift-beating single to left field, Ehire Adrianza hit a long liner to the right-field corner.

Andrew McCutchen played it off the wall and one-hopped his cut-off throw to second baseman Gleyber Torres.

With Kepler rounding third base, Torres bobbled the throw, giving him no chance to throw Kepler out at home. Minnesota was ahead, 1-0.

Joe Mauer’s lined single to left field moved Kepler to third base, putting runners on the corners with one out.

In the next at-bat, Severino got Jorge Polanco to strike out swinging on a full count, but not without trouble. With Sanchez setting up outside, Severino’s 99-mph fastball missed its mark badly, going up and in. The ball got past catcher Gary Sanchez and traveled to the backstop.

Polanco tried holding up his swing. He couldn’t. Despite the out, Boone pulled Severino for David Robertson, who got out of it with a grounder back to the mound.

Severino was highly displeased with Boone for taking him out. When Boone got to the mound, he refused to give him the ball right away. It was unclear what he said, but it was clear Severino was angry and wanted to stay in.

In the seventh, the Twins got a pair of insurance runs. 

With two outs, ex-Yankee Jake Cave doubled off Robertson to right field, and then Willians Astudillo singled up the middle. That scored Cave. Immediately, Kepler hit a long liner to left-center field. Aaron Hicks almost had it with an all-out dive. It bounced off his glove and went to the wall and another run scored.

Next

Thursday: Off.

Friday: Yankees righty Masahiro Tanaka (11-5, 3.61 ERA) vs. Blue Jays starter to be announced at 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. 

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.