The New York Yankees faced off against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday evening with Nestor Cortes on the mound. Cortes has been stellar this season, going into the game with a 1.50 ERA.
However, Cortes had his first tumultuous outing of the campaign, one day after Jameson Taillon struggled against a solid Twins offense.
Luckily, the Yankees still hold a seven-game lead in the AL East and are 3.5 games up over the New York Mets, who lost their most recent game to the San Diego Padres 13–2.
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Good news and bad news as Yankees drop 2nd game of series against Twins:
The Yankees were only able to score one run compared to Minnesota’s eight on Wednesday. Opposing pitcher Chris Archer lasted 5.0 innings, giving up two hits and one earned run. However, Nestor Cortes gave up seven hits, and four earned runs over 4.1 innings pitched, including two homers in the 5th inning to Byron Buxton and Ryan Jeffers.
Cortes is still the Yankees’ top starter despite having a tough game. Over 64.1 innings, striking out 9.93 batters per 9 and allowing 1.96 walks per nine. His home runs per nine rate elevated to 0.84 after getting up two on Wednesday, but he still has the best number of his entire career by a significant margin.
Offensively, the Yankees failed to generate much production. Only Josh Donaldson, Aaron Hicks, and Kyle Higashioka recorded hits, totaling just four. The Twins recorded 11 hits, taking advantage of Cortes off his game. Relief pitcher Clarke Schmidt also ran into some trouble after relieving Nester. Over 1.2 innings, Schmidt gave up three hits, and four earned runs, including two walks.
The Yankees will be looking to bounce back on Thursday night with Gerrit Cole on the mound against Dylan Bundy. Cole currently hosts a 2.78 ERA over 64.2 innings pitched. Bundy has struggled considerably this season, earning a 5.57 ERA over 42 innings, giving up 52 hits and eight home runs. Bundy offers a great opportunity for the Yankees to get back in the win column utilizing their power.