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Beltran, call-up Wheeler help Tanaka as Yanks snap skid

MINNEAPOLIS — His right arm encased in ice, Masahiro Tanaka patted Zelous Wheeler on the back as he moved past the newest Yankee’s locker.

Clearly, there was no language barrier between the ace pitcher and the third baseman, who made a colossal splash in his big league debut after spending seven-plus years in the minors.

Wheeler turned and smiled as Tanaka walked away. A few seconds later, Wheeler, called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Thursday morning, walked out into the comfortable Minnesota night with Derek Jeter.

“It was great, I waited for this moment for a long time,’’ said Wheeler, whose first big league hit was a fifth-inning homer off Phil Hughes and helped carry the Yankees to a 7-4 victory in front of 34,714 at Target Field. “I hope to take advantage of it.’’

He is 27, having come out of Alabama’s Wallace State Community College in 2007 and taken in the 19th round by the Brewers. In the Yankees’ world of designer tastes, Wheeler, a minor league free agent signing, is straight off the rack.

“It was a special night for him,’’ manager Joe Girardi said of Wheeler, promoted when the Yankees sent a reeling Yangervis Solarte out with the hope he rediscovers the swing that made him the feel-good story of the first two months. “He was a big part of the win. His first hit is a homer and into our bullpen, so we got the ball. For him it was a huge thrill, and I’m happy for him.’’

Wheeler, who went 2-for-4, didn’t break the Yankees’ season-high five-game losing streak by himself. His, however, was the best story of the night.

Carlos Beltran’s three-run homer off Hughes (8-5) erased a 2-0 deficit and gave Tanaka a lead he never relinquished on a night he wasn’t as crisp as usual. Wheeler’s blast — which traveled 413 feet to left center on a 3-1 Hughes pitch — made it a two-run game. Three runs in the seventh, when Brendan Ryan, Brett Gardner and Jeter drove in runs, let everybody in the visiting gray uniforms relax.

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Girardi replaced Tanaka (12-3) after seven innings and 85 pitches. Dellin Betances worked the eighth, whiffing two of three and David Robertson notched his 19th save in 21 chances with a scoreless ninth, in which he fanned three.

Coupled with the Blue Jays losing to the A’s, the 42-42 Yankees are 3 ½ games out of first place in the AL East, where the Jays and Orioles are tied for the top spot.

After they hit .135 (5-for-37) with runners in scoring position during their five-game losing slide, watching Beltran take Hughes deep relieved a lot of pressure.

“That was a big hit for us,’’ Girardi said of Beltran’s ninth homer. “We had two hits before, and to be successful in the American League, you need those things.’’

As for Tanaka, he stopped a personal two-game losing streak but was far from satisfied after giving up a season-high nine hits and tied a season-high with four runs.

“I feel tonight was one of the worst ones of the season as far as hitting spots and making pitches,’’ Tanaka said through a translator.

The way the Yankees have struggled offensively this year, four runs in seven innings would have made a loser out of Tanaka on most nights. But a player who waited 7 ½ years to taste the big leagues helped turn what Tanaka believed to be a poor outing into another victory, and got a big pat on the back for his effort.