POWER PLAYERS: Nick Swisher celebrates his first-inning home run with Derek Jeter, one of four home runs the Yankees hit. (EPA)
MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees did what they had to do against pig-slop pitching last night at Target Field. If they can keep this up, they not only will win the AL East, but could sneak away with the best record in the American League.
They need to make the most of their powder-puff schedule these last nine games. They took a big step forward with this 6-3 win over the Twins and overmatched right-hander Liam Hendriks at Target Field, getting home runs from Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson, Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez.
They’ve won eight of their last nine, and the Yankees need a similar run in these final nine regular-season games.
The Yankees (89-64) have a two-game lead in the loss column in the East because the Orioles (88-66) split a doubleheader with the Blue Jays. The Rangers (91-62) beat the A’s and are two games up on the Yankees in the race for the AL’s best record. If the Yankees and Rangers tie for the best record in the AL, the Yankees win the tiebreaker because they won the season series.
“Winning our division is the first thing you want, but if you can get the best record that’s great,’’ Joe Girardi said.
Considering the final three atrocious pitching staffs the Yankees face, it would be an incredible embarrassment for them not to win the AL East. It is boom time for the Yankees bats. The four home runs gave them 229 for the season.
“You want to be playing well and that’s how we feel right now as a team,’’ Chavez said. “We’ve been playing a lot of close ballgames and those are the games we will be playing [come playoff time].’’
Having the Orioles on their tail has made them a better team.
Andy Pettitte was magnificent again with six shutout innings, but it sure helped getting a two-run home run from Swisher in the first inning that gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead.
“To get a hanging changeup in that spot and to be able to get it out of the ballpark was big,’’ Swisher said.
There will be more hanging changeups these last nine games.
The division is there on a silver platter with this softest of schedules. The Yankees have two more games here, four in Toronto against the cellar-dwelling Blue Jays and finish up at home against the Red Sox, who have fallen into the abyss.
The Twins own the 28th worst ERA in the majors at 4.80. The Blue Jays are 25th at 4.65 and the Red Sox are 24th with a 4.59 mark. It gets worse. Post All-Star break, the Red Sox’s ERA is 5.12. Ben Affleck could pitch better than the guys Bobby Valentine is being forced to run out there. In September, the Blue Jays’ ERA is 5.48.
The Yankees’ hitters should take off against all three pitching staffs, just like last night, putting them in a good frame of mind heading into the postseason. Hitting doesn’t get any easier than this, unless the Yankees were playing in a Sunday beer league. The Yankees pounded out 10 hits against the Twins.
Granderson’s home run was his 40th, giving him back-to-back seasons with 40-plus homers, joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Jason Giambi as the only Yankees to have back-to-back 40 home run seasons. Swisher’s home run was his 23rd, equaling last year’s total.
Ichiro Suzuki is hitting .328 as a Yankee. Ibanez is red hot and Chavez has been helping carry the offense all season. The Old Guys are getting it done.
“They know how to play the game,’’ Girardi said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s crunch time and these guys are rising up for us.’’
The Yankees have no excuses. The AL East is there for the taking.
“We just have to keep it going, keep living it,’’ Swisher said.
The Yankees must stay hot these final nine games against some ice cold terrible pitching. The table is set; time to run the table.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com