MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Brand new papa Glen Perkins pitched eight outstanding innings and light-hitting Adam Everett connected for a two-run homer, lifting the Minnesota Twins to a 4-0 victory over the reeling New York Yankees on Monday night.
Perkins (9-3) allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four to put the Twins atop the AL Central again, a half-game in front of Chicago. He induced two inning-ending double plays and got a standing ovation when he left after the eighth.
Joe Nathan fanned Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady in the ninth to complete the first shutout of the Yankees at the Metrodome since June 24, 1996.
It's difficult to say which was more unlikely - the 25-year-old Perkins keeping the veteran Yankees hitters on ice less than 24 hours after being in the hospital with his wife for the birth of their second daughter, or Everett hitting his first homer since May 11.
Either way, they both helped the Twins (66-52) extend the Yankees' losing streak to a season-long four games, and push New York a little further down the totem pole in the playoff race.
The Yankees (63-56) dropped five games behind Boston, which leads the wild-card standings. New York also is nine games back of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East and is starting to get asked about possibly missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993.
``We need wins. That's the bottom line,'' manager Joe Girardi said before the game. ``We're going to have to win a lot of games.''
Former Twin Sidney Ponson (7-3) gave up four runs and seven hits in 7 2-3 innings, just his second loss for the Yankees after starting the season with Texas. His biggest mistake came to Everett, a 31-year-old shortstop with shoulder problems who was hitting .209 at the start of the day.
His homer landed just beyond the glove of a leaping Justin Christian and fell into second row of seats in left field, giving the Twins a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
Perkins, who wasn't even sure he was going to be able to make the start when he went to the hospital on Sunday to be with his wife, Alisha, took over from there.
Lyla Cynthia Perkins was born about 6 p.m. on Sunday in St. Paul.
The Yankees managed only one runner past first base, when Robinson Cano advanced to third after Perkins threw a pickoff attempt past first baseman Justin Morneau for a second-inning error.
But the lefty settled down and got Melky Cabrera to ground into a double play, ending New York's only threat of the night.
Notes:@ Yankees CF Johnny Damon had the night off. Girardi said Damon will play in the final two games of the series. ... Nathan announced a gift of $500,000 to his alma mater, Stony Brook University in New York, to build a new baseball field that will be called Joe Nathan Field.
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