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MINNEAPOLIS -- Sometimes the game can shift with one swing. Carlos Beltran took a big cut, sent a fastball soaring into the seats in right field and snapped the foundering New York Yankees out of their funk. Beltrans three-run homer Thursday night lifted Masahiro Tanaka to his majors-leading 12th win and helped the Yankees stop a season-worst five-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. "We have to find a way to score more runs. Theres no doubt about that. We played very poor at home," Beltran said. Zelous Wheeler homered in his big-league debut after nearly eight years in the minors. David Robertson notched his 19th save by striking out the side in a hitless ninth inning, and the Yankees started an 11-game road trip with a sigh-of-relief performance that put their record back at the .500 mark. "It felt great. Ive been waiting for this moment for a long time, and hopefully I can take advantage of it," Wheeler said. Phil Hughes (8-5) was rolling along against his former team, leading 2-0 until Beltran cleared the tall wall in right following consecutive singles to start the fifth. Wheeler went deep two batters later. "Not knowing much about him, in a 3-1 count, Im going to challenge him," Hughes said. "He put a good swing on it." Wheeler had a big smile on his face afterward. "Every time you see a story like that, a guy thats spent a lot of time in the minor leagues and all of a sudden comes to the big leagues and being able to do what he did today, its just special," Beltran said. So was Beltrans big hit, considering the slump the Yankees brought with them on the road. "Those are the type of things we need to be successful in the American League," manager Joe Girardi said. Tanaka (12-3) allowed a season-high four runs. He finished seven innings with nine hits and no walks while striking out a season-low three. "Theyre not going to be perfect every time. Hes been about as consistent as you can be as a starting pitcher. He just wasnt quite as sharp," Girardi said. Through his interpreter, Tanaka said this was one of his worst starts of the season. Throwing only 85 pitches, at least, allowed the star Japanese rookie to maintain some freshness for the next turn. "Not too much pressure, but I obviously understood where the team was," Tanaka said. With Eduardo Escobar on first after an RBI single in the seventh, Tanaka dodged serious trouble. Sam Fulds screaming line drive went straight to Mark Teixeira, who easily stepped on first base for the double play to preserve the three-run lead. Chris Parmelee drove in a run with a double in the first and Kurt Suzuki and Kendrys Morales had RBI groundouts, but the sputtering Twins missed their opportunities to put bigger numbers on the board like the Yankees did against Hughes. The Twins have lost eight of 10 and fell a season-worst eight games under .500. Wheeler had a single to help spark the three-run rally in the seventh, too, scoring on Brett Gardners single after a one-out RBI double by Brendan Ryan chased Hughes. Derek Jeter drove in a run with a groundout. The Yankees havent been nearly as potent at the plate as they are paid to be, ranking 12th in runs and 10th in homers in the American League. They totalled one run over Tanakas last two starts, both losses, but this was the breakout they needed. "Hes very competitive. Hes in control of the game," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. NOTES: Beltran passed Lance Berkman for fourth place on the career list for home runs by switch hitters. With 367, hes behind Mickey Mantle (536), Eddie Murray (504) and Chipper Jones (468). ... Parmelee stretched his hitting streak to 13 games. Hes hitting .440 (22 for 50) during the run. ... Yankees assistant GM for pro personnel Billy Eppler interviewed Thursday for San Diegos vacant GM spot. ... The Yankees will send Chase Whitley (3-2, 4.70 ERA) to the mound Friday afternoon for the 10th start of his rookie season, and Kyle Gibson (7-6, 3.77 ERA) will pitch for the Twins. The Yankees are 5-1 in Whitleys six turns on the road. Gibsons 1.54 ERA at home is the best among qualifying AL pitchers. Cheap Jerseys From China .C. -- With a chance to start over and maybe drive in any series he wanted, Juan Pablo Montoya thought long and hard about what mattered most at this stage of his career. Wholesale Stitched Jerseys . - No matter the lineup or location, the San Antonio Spurs are rolling through the NBA again this spring, just the way they have for most of the last two decades. http://www.cheapjerseysfinish.com/ . -- What Anthony Jennings lacked in experience, LSU more than compensated for with a talented supporting cast in the Outback Bowl. Cheap Custom NFL Jerseys . Garcia had eight birdies overall to go with a lone bogey on the fourth to move to an 18-under total of 198 at the Asian Tour event. "I was able to hit some really nice shots and then was able to roll two or three really good putts in and it was nice to be able to finish birdie, birdie on this difficult finishing stretch," Garcia said. China NFL Jerseys . -- Kansas City Royals right-hander Luke Hochevar will have Tommy John surgery that will sideline the pitcher for the season.TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the wealth of Canadian talent in NCAA, the Wizards acquisition of Andre Miller, the skills of Spencer Hawes, the transition of Glen Davis to the Clippers and the upside of Evan Turner in Indiana. 1. CANADIAN PLAYERS: Take a look at just a few of the up-and-comers like Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), Tyler Ennis (Syracuse), Nik Stauskas (Michigan), Melvin Ejim (Iowa St.), Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga) and Brady Heslip (Baylor) and its quite impressive to see how the continued growth of the sport is so amazing to watch before our eyes. The amount of young people playing the sport at a high level is growing and it will only get better. The success stories keep coming at you from so many different directions. Great time to be a hoops fan. 2. ANDRE MILLER (Wizards): Like this pickup for them. I know conditioning will be a factor for a while but theyve been quite inconsistent when theyve gone to their bench and he will provide stable/steady play and leadership for them. He knows how to run a team and get teammates quality shots. His experience and savvy will help provide direction for a team that goes through nightly droughts of attention to detail and productivity. You never have enough veteran know-how and this team desperately lacked it. 3. SPENCER HAWES (Cavs): Will be difficult for them to capture the eighth seed in the East yet they improved their chances by picking him up. Low maintenance guy who has a great knack for making the right plays. Good shooter with outstanding passing skills in both the high and low poost and hell compete for you on the boards.dddddddddddd Has really developed over the years into a nice secondary piece in a starting lineup. His skill and know-how will help the chemistry of this young team. 4. GLEN DAVIS (Clippers): This move had head coach Doc Rivers written all over it. Obviously, he coached Big Baby in Boston and knows his pros and cons and feels he can be a good fit for them. When you look at LAs question marks in the second unit, particularly in the front court, this makes complete sense for them. He gets after it and can score in the post and will defend/rebound to the best of his ability for you. His experience and relationship with the coaching staff will make it a good transition. 5. EVAN TURNER (Pacers): To get a guy who is still developing as a pro and having a solid year is a smart acquisition. His rebounding ability and desire to guard are pluses. He can get to the rim and will give them good second unit scoring. In addition, being thrust into a playoff environment coming from a Philly situation that was a total rebuild gives him a huge boost and shot of energy. His competitive juices will be flowing. Look at his play each year and I see a guy thats starting to figure it out. Averaging an impressive 17+ ppg this season and how do you turn that down? At the end of the season, you can revisit the relationship contractually, considering you have some control with a qualifying offer and see if you want it to be a rental or continue on. In the meantime, a sound pickup for the stretch run and playoffs. ' ' '