The New York Yankees faced off against the Cleveland Guardians in a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game was easily won by the Bombers, who scored 13 runs compared to Cleveland’s four.
The Yankees tallied 14 hits and 12 RBIs, including seven walks in Game 1. First baseman Matt Carpenter stood out, launching two homers and picking up four RBIs, increasing his slugging percentage to .902 with a .293 average.
However, the Yankees’ offense showed up in the second game of the doubleheader as well, scoring six runs courtesy of Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton. Both recorded two hits, including a solo home run apiece.
The Yanks picked up seven hits and three walks in the win, with Cleveland posting seven hits and striking out 10 times. The Guardians had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th inning but were unable to get anything going. The Yankees called on closer Clay Holmes to finish the job.
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The starting pitching looked great:
It was great to see starter Nestor Cortes get back on his horse after a few tumultuous outings. In his last two games, Cortes had given up seven earned runs over 9.1 innings. He lasted 6.0 innings against Cleveland, giving up just three hits and one earned run which came off the bat of Amed Rosario in the first inning. Afterward, Cortes was lethal, tossing 89 pitches without much trouble.
Manager Aaron Boone will likely try to give Nestor ample rest over the next few weeks, especially with the All-Star break coming up. Cortes has only pitched over 70 innings once in his career, and he’s already at 85 this season.
The Yankees will take on Cleveland one last time on Sunday before their first day off in 20 straight games. However, the road trip doesn’t end here, as they prepare to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a two-game series and four games at Boston before returning home against Cincinnati.