MINNEAPOLIS — Clarke Schmidt cruised to a career-long eight shutout innings after Anthony Volpe led off the game with a home run that sparked a three-run first inning, and the New York Yankees finished a three-game sweep with a 5-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Schmidt (5-1) scattered a double and two singles without a walk, striking out eight and winning his third consecutive start.

The 2017 first-round draft pick, who has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his nine starts this season, lowered his ERA from 2.95 to 2.49, throwing a career-high 103 pitches. His previous long was 6 2/3 innings, matched in his most recent outing at Tampa Bay on Friday.

Gleyber Torres hit two doubles and drove in a run, and Anthony Rizzo, Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo also had RBI for the Yankees (30-15), who have won 11 of their last 14 games and have the second-best record in the major leagues behind Philadelphia.

Aaron Judge hit two more rockets for doubles and went 2 for 3 with a walk after going 4 for 4 with a walk on Wednesday night. He had half as many hits in the series as the Twins, whose streak of six straight series won came to a crashing end while being outscored 14-1 and outhit 35-14 by the Yankees.

Even the outs were hit hard by Judge, whose long fly to center went 409 feet to the warning track ending the fifth. The ball would have been a home run in 18 of 30 ballparks, according to MLB Statcast.

The outfield defense was shaky all week for the Twins (24-19) Alex Kirilloff misplayed a line drive by Torres in the first that glanced off his glove at the warning track as Judge came around to score.

Twins starter Joe Ryan (2-3) lasted 5 1/3 innings with four runs allowed on six hits and one walk while striking out five.

ASTROS 8, ATHLETICS 1: Rookie Joey Loperfido hit his first major league home run and Cristian Javier pitched six scoreless innings to help Houston beat visiting Oakland to complete a four-game sweep.

The victory extended Houston’s winning streak to a season-long five games. The Astros have won seven of their last eight games.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

PIRATES 5, CUBS 4: Edward Olivares and Nick Gonzales homered, and Pittsburgh won at Chicago.

Olivares hit a two-run homer in the first inning. He also doubled and scored in the sixth against Justin Steele (0-1) to make it 5-3.

METS 6, PHILLIES 5: Pete Alonso homered, J.D. Martinez hit a go-ahead single in the 11th inning and New York overcame another blown save by Edwin Díaz to win at Philadelphia.

Starling Marte had two hits for the Mets, who followed a closed-door meeting held by rookie manager Carlos Mendoza on Wednesday night by winning their second game in the last seven.

NOTES

YANKEES: Juan Soto has settled in just fine with the Yankees, marveling at the reach and intensity of the fan base, relishing New York’s rich culture and, of course, hitting in a loaded lineup right in front of Aaron Judge.

He’ll have a decision to make sooner than later on whether to re-up, with his first time as a free agent looming in the fall. But perhaps he won’t make it to the open market at all. Soto said he would give his blessing to contract talks during the season if the Yankees want to approach his agent Scott Boras about a long-term contract.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told the team’s YES Network he’d consider such a tactic for the three-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger who’s still just 25 years old.

• Third baseman D.J. LeMahieu will resume his rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Friday against the Portland Sea Dogs. The three-time All-Star has been sidelined all season after and breaking his right foot on a foul ball in spring training on March 16. His first rehab assignment was halted by soreness after one inning on April 23.

TRADES: The Oakland Athletics acquired right-hander Brandon Bielak from the Houston Astros for cash.

Oakland designated left-hander Easton Lucas for assignment to create 40-man roster room for Bielak, who had been designated himself on Saturday to create space for right-hander Cristian Javier on the active roster.

Bielak has a 5.71 ERA in 10 relief outings this year with nine strikeouts and seven walks over 17 1/3 innings.

He was originally selected by Houston in the 11th round of the 2017 amateur draft and has a 11-13 record with a 4.65 ERA and one save.

•  The Los Angeles Angels acquired right-hander Roansy Contreras from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.

The Pirates designated the 24-year-old Contreras for assignment on Saturday to create room on the roster for Paul Skenes ahead of the prized pitcher’s major league debut against the Chicago Cubs.

Contreras, acquired as part of the trade that sent pitcher Jameson Taillon to the New York Yankees in January 2021, has struggled most of the past two seasons and was out of options. A starter for much of his first three seasons, he has been working out of the bullpen this year. He is 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 appearances.

ATHLETICS: Left-hander Ken Waldichuk had reconstructive surgery on his troublesome pitching elbow and will be sidelined all season, another tough injury blow for the pitcher this past year.

Already on the 60-day injured list with a ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his pitching arm, he was examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday and it was determined he needed the procedure. Waldichuk suffered a setback in his rehab after facing hitters April 29.

The surgery performed by ElAttrache included a flexor tendon repair and a UCL reconstruction with internal brace procedure. Waldichuk will return to Oakland and his rehabilitation.

Waldichuk had been working his way back from an offseason procedure to remove scar tissue from his pitching elbow to help alleviate pain he experienced after his final start of the 2023 season.

DODGERS: Pitcher Emmet Sheehan had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.

The team announced that the 24-year-old right-hander underwent the procedure Wednesday in Los Angeles..

Sheehan had been expected to contend for a spot in the rotation this season, but he was slowed by shoulder soreness in spring training and began the season on the injured list.