NEW YORK _ The Yankees continue to say that winning the AL East remains their ultimate goal, and they've played well enough recently to keep themselves within range of doing so.
They just aren't getting any help. Because as much as they keep winning, so do the Red Sox.
CC Sabathia delivered another solid outing while the bullpen combined for three scoreless innings of relief as the Yankees beat the Twins, 5-2, before a crowd of 30,218 at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.
First pitch was delayed for one hour, five minutes because of rain.
After Chad Green and David Robertson each pitched a clean inning, Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth and earned his 20th save.
The Yankees (84-67) are a season-high 17 games over .500.
Luis Severino will take the mound in the series finale as the Yankees go for the sweep.
But while the Yankees won on Tuesday, Boston beat the Orioles, 1-0, in extra innings to maintain its three-game lead atop the division.
"I know the time is short but things can happen really quick in this game," manager Joe Girardi said before the game. "We've seen ourselves go from 3{ down one week to being in first place in one week. And you hope that can happen again. But the only thing we're in control of is what we do."
Still, a spot in the wild card is becoming more and more likely. And there still remains a good chance they face Minnesota.
One advantage the Yankees could have is that they saw the Twins' top two pitchers this series after they faced Ervin Santana on Monday and Jose Berrios on Tuesday.
They had success against both.
The Twins (78-73) struck first on this night as Brian Dozier led off the game with a single before Joe Mauer and Jorge Polanco each bunted for a base hit to load the bases. Eduardo Escobar then grounded into a double play that scored Dozier, but Byron Buxton grounded out to end the inning.
The Yankees, meanwhile, made Berrios work, putting together long at-bats to drive up his pitch count quickly.
Starlin Castro walked to start the second inning before Greg Bird worked a two-out walk. That brought up Brett Gardner, who doubled in Castro to tie the game.
Sabathia gave the run back in the top of the third, surrendering a solo homer to Max Kepler that hit off the facing of the second deck in right.
But the Yankees retook the lead in the fourth. Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a double to left and Bird walked with one out.
An RBI single from Gardner tied the score, which drove Berrios from the game after 90 pitches.
Aaron Judge hit a sacrifice fly to right off reliever Alan Busenitz to put the Yankees ahead, 3-2.
