MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Although the New York Yankees remain on the pace to reach the mark of 100 wins, the threat of being forced to make a cross-country trip for a playoff game has not gone away.

This rare unbalanced loss to the Minnesota Twins certainly has not helped.

Joe Mauer hit a grand slam for a fifth round of six points, and the Twins beat the Yankees for the first time in 10 games, a 10-5 win Tuesday night after another flop of Sonny Gray as a starter.

"We have to do better, we go out and put an egg like that," said manager Aaron Boone. "It's the moment when we have to start playing with our abilities and doing our best every day."

Didi Gregorius responded to Mauer's big bop with his own slam in the sixth. That was the only bright spot for the Yankees, who dropped nine games behind Boston in the East race and had their lead over Oakland for first place wild card in two games. Athletics won their fifth straight game.

"I can not control what's going on there," Gregorius said. "Can only control what's going on here."

The leaders of the major league at home with 234, the Yankees have fallen to 80-36 in the games when they go deep. They staged three double games and had only five hits, none after Gregorius hit his second grand slam against the Twins this year.

"We have to dig right now and find it," Boone said, "and try to lock in and get this thing going in the right direction."

Gray was removed from the rotation in early August with a record of 8-8 and 5.56 ERA. He pitched more aggressively in four relief games, then resumed the rotation for a lead start, and got a shutout in the seventh round in Baltimore on August 25th. He made another appearance of relief and gave the departure to the rotation an extra day of rest.

Gray (10-9) lasted three innings and awarded three points – two wins – with four hits and three ballads.

"You're walking guys," Gray said, "and that'll kill you."

The right-hander refused to acknowledge any additional frustrations related to his rare opportunity to start. It did not allow to put pressure on the team, his former team.

"We lost a game, we're fine," said Gray. "I have the impression that everyone is in a good mood."

MAUER POWER

Gregorius tripled and scored on Gary Sanchez's sacrifice for a second-run lead, and Gray brought him back into a third three-point run powered by a two-point single from former Yankees farmhand Jake Cellar. Jonathan Loaisiga was even worse, forcing Max Kepler to run in fifth.

Boone appeared to argue with umpire James Hoye on the fact that Kepler's third ball made him lose his ball for a foul. Three drummers later, Mauer crashed a complete fastball in the middle of the field where she landed in the berm beyond the wall. He came to get a curtain after his fifth grand slam career, tying Tony Oliva to fourth place in the history of the Twins with 597 hits.

"He just has this ability not to let the emotion or the moments exceed his abilities," said manager Paul Molitor.

The Yankees are 96-34 against the Twins, including the playoffs, and have won all series of the season since the beginning of 2002. They dominated the 66-23 Twins in the nine-game winning streak. .

"It's always nice to beat those guys," says Mauer, "I'll tell you."

L & # 39; OPENING

Kohl Stewart (1-1) won his first major league win despite five 3-in-3 heats. He followed the reliever Tyler Duffey, who pitched two innings as a bull thrower in the latest Twins experience with a new trend that Tampa Bay has launched. It was their first win in three tries with the arrangement.

"I'm not saying that's true or false, I'm just saying it's different," Duffey said. "It worked today, if it works next time or not, who knows?"

DO NOT JUDGE

Aaron Judge, the right-wing Yankees defender, missed his 44th game after being hit by a shot that broke his right wrist, but for the second afternoon in a row, he also participated in defensive drills. Boone has refused to release a specific schedule for Judge's return to training, but the manager is clearly looking forward to that happening. More clarity will come after the judge's practice sessions this weekend at Yankee Stadium, Boone said.

TRAINER ROOM

Yankees: With Boone preferring Austin Romine as scorer for Gray, Sanchez is distant from the back to take the place of the DH.

Twins: Tyler Austin was the DH for the Twins after an absence of four games due to a squeeze of the back. Traded by the Yankees to the Twins on July 30 for right-hander Lance Lynn, Austin made his first appearance against his home team. He singled out and walked five times.

FOLLOWING

Yankees: RHP Luis Severino (17-7, 3.52 ERA) will play the last game of the series, with his shortest lap of the season with six hits and six points awarded in 2 2/3 innings in a defeat to Oakland last week. . After a day of rest Thursday, Masahiro Tanaka, C.C. Sabathia and Lynn will be the beginners of the weekend against Toronto.

Twins: RHP Jake Odorizzi (5-10, 4.57 ERA) will take the mound Wednesday night, reaching the mark of 30 starts for the third time in five years.

___

For more AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.