Sports: Judge homers as Yankees beat Twins and keep pressure on Red Sox

New York — Aaron Judge hit his 44th home run, Aroldis Chapman pitched out of big trouble in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees edged the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Monday night to increase their AL wild-card lead.

Todd Frazier hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Jaime Garcia gave the Yankees a splendid performance against the team that traded him this year after only one start. New York, still chasing first-place Boston in the AL East (the Red Sox were in extra innings with the Orioles tied 8-8), won the opener of a threegame series that could serve as a potential postseason preview two weeks from now.

The Yankees have built a five-game cushion for the league's top wild card with 12 to play. Minnesota is in the second spot, 1.5 games ahead of the idle Los Angeles Angels. So if the standings hold, New York will host the Twins in the one-game playoff on Oct. 3.

Chapman replaced a wild Dellin Betances with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth. The left-hander struck out three-time batting champion Joe Mauer, who hit a grand slam Sunday, and retired No. 3 hitter Byron Buxton on an easy fly, needing only four pitches that all reached at least 100 mph.

Chapman then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save in 23 chances. It was his third career regular-season save that required at least five outs — and first since August 2013 with Cincinnati. The fireballing closer also had one in the World Series last year for the Chicago Cubs.

Judge homered to right-center in the first off hard-luck loser Ervin Santana (15-8), who won his previous four decisions. The All-Star righty gave up seven hits in 5.2 innings.

David Robertson (9-2) retired all four hitters he faced, improving to 5-0 since the Yankees reacquired him from the Chicago White Sox in July.

Garcia struck out five of his first six batters and did not permit an earned run in 5.2 innings. He finished with nine strikeouts, equaling a season high.

Garcia was traded by Minnesota to the Yankees in late July, one day after

New York — Things appear pretty bleak for the New York Jets just two games into the season.

The dismal 0-2 start is certainly no surprise, especially to the many fans and media who struggled to find a possible win while handicapping the schedule in the preseason.

In a rebuilding year with a revamped roster, the odds are stacked against Todd Bowles' bunch. But the coach is trying to focus on the positives after road losses to Buffalo and Oakland by a combined 6632.

“Well, we're still learning about the identity part, but I know we have a lot of fight in us,” Bowles said during a conference call Monday. “We just have to not make the mistakes we've been making.”

The Jets held their own in Oakland for most of the first half Sunday before a muffed punt by Kalif Raymond swung the momentum to the Raiders with 1:50 left. Three plays later, Marshawn Lynch went up the middle for a touchdown that turned a 14-10 deficit into a 21-10 hole — and things snowballed from there for New York before falling 45-20 .

Next up is the Jets' home opener Sunday against the AFC East-rival Miami Dolphins (1-0), followed by another game the next weekend at MetLife Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1).

“We understand what kind of game this is, a division game,” nose tackle Steve McLendon said. “It's a must-win for us.”

Yes, in Week 3, they're already talking in make-or-break terms.

“I think we're at the point where I don't look at it as a test, in terms of becoming divided or anything like that,” center Wesley Johnson said. “We just want to win.”

While many fans are daydreaming about getting the possible No. 1 overall draft pick and spending their Saturdays channel surfing while scouting potential franchise quarterbacks, the Jets are thinking only about salvaging their season.

“We're still in the thick of things, so if we can go out and get a win this week, I feel like it'll help get it in the right direction with the right feeling coming into this locker room,” McLendon said. “We'd rather be looking at, after these next two games, sitting at 2-2 than 0-4.”

New York's 0-2 start is its first since 2007, when Eric Mangini's team finished 4-12. Coincidentally, the Jets also played the Dolphins in Week 3 at home — and won.

“I think we're learning a lot,” Bowles said. “We learned a lot as the two weeks went by. But we'll learn a lot more these next two weeks whether we can correct these mistakes, which I'm pretty sure we can.”

From an outsider's perspective, it's easy to see the root of the early-season troubles. The Jets have allowed a whopping 370 yards rushing, the most in the NFL. The 66 points allowed is also tops in the league.

“We're trying to correct it and we're trying to correct it now,” McLendon said. “We're not trying to let this linger on with this running back we have this week.”

That would be Miami's Jay Ajayi, who burst onto the scene last season with three 200-yard rushing performances, including two in consecutive games.

He's a difficult runner to take down, much like Lynch is, so the Jets are going to have to turn things around with their tackling — which Bowles said was the main culprit at Oakland — and fast.

“We'll fix it with practicing,” Bowles said. “We can do it with bags and everything else. We have to wrap up. We have to wrap up and keep our head up. That's normal.”

Meanwhile, the offense got the running game going a bit against Oakland, gaining 126 yards on the ground after getting just 38 at Buffalo in the opener . Josh McCown was also mostly efficient, going 17 of 25 for 166 yards and two touchdowns to Jermaine Kearse. ter a 6-3 win at Oakland in his lone start for the Twins — the team's only victory during an eight-game stretch. They had acquired the veteran lefty from Atlanta to reinforce their rotation, but quickly moved him again before the non-waiver deadline when that short-lived slump dropped them in the standings and below .500.

Frazier made a diving stop at third base on an RBI groundout by Robbie Grossman in the fifth that tied it 1-all. Jason Castro to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Lefty list

CC Sabathia (11-5, 3.85 ERA) starts tonight for the Yankees on seven days' rest. He needs one strikeout to match Mickey Lolich (2,832) for third place all-time among left-handers. Sabathia is 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA in five starts since returning last month from a brief stint on the DL.

Easy way on

Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury reached on catcher's interference for the fifth time this season, extending his major league record to 31 times in his career.

Ellsbury, on a recent tear at the plate, also singled, stole two bases and was intentionally walked.

Trainer's room

Twins: All-Star 3B Miguel Sano (left shin) is headed back to Minnesota on Tuesday after accompanying the team to New York for a personal matter. Sano is healing slowly, but the Twins hope to have him back before the season ends — perhaps only as a DH.

Yankees: All-Star C Gary Sanchez was hit on the left forearm by a seventh-inning foul ball. He was checked by a trainer but stayed in the game. ... OF Aaron Hicks (strained left oblique) did some tee and soft toss work . ... DH Matt Holliday was rested in favor of switch-hitter Chase Headley, even though Holliday is 5 for 12 (.417) with two home runs against Santana.