Yankees' Nestor Cortes Befuddles Rays in 7-2 Series-Opening Win
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Left-handed starter Nestor Cortes has been terrific for the New York Yankees all season, and the Tampa Bay Rays got to witness his nastiness first-hand on Thursday night.
Cortes held the Rays scoreless through eight innings and allowed just four hits, helping the Yankees win 7-2 and take the first game of an important four-game series between the two American League East rivals at Tropicana Field. The Yankees' division lead is now 5.5 games.
"He was very tough. He came in as one of the better pitchers in baseball so far and we certainly saw why,'' Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "We faced him last year and he was good, but he's certainly elevated his game of late. He threw a really good ballgame.''
Cortes, who faced one batter in the ninth, is now 4-1 on the season with an impressive 1.70 earned run average. The Rays never really threatened after the first inning, where they got a walk and a single by Harold Ramirez with one out but couldn't score. They didn't get another hit until Manuel Margot had a two-out double in the seventh, and Vidal Brujan had a harmless two-out single in the eighth.
They scored two inconsequential runs in the ninth, when the outcome was no longer in doubt.
"He threw the ball extremely well, like he has all year,'' Rays catcher Mike Zunino said of Cortes. "He was commanding all of his stuff, was able to work the inside and was able to get some righties sped up. He had great control of that cutter.''
Through five innings, Tampa Bay starter Ryan Yarbrough was actually even better. He didn't allow any hits, and had just a first-inning walk. But things went haywire in the sixth for him.
Yarbrough hit No. 8 hitter Matt Carpenter, and then No. 9 hitter Marwin Gonzalez singled to center for their first hit of game. Then Aaron Judge singled to make it 1-0.
"We kept them at bay there through the fifth, but any time you get a lead-off guy on, things can happen. It was just one of those cutters that didn't get in to Marwin, and then I got a ground ball from Judge, but he's a big strong guy and he got it through.''
That ended Yarbrough's night, and Ryan Thompson came it. He got a pop up for the second out, and then coaxed a hard-hit ball out of Miguel Andujar to shortstop Taylor Walls. He fielded a tough hop, but stumbled just a bit and his throw was low. First baseman Harold Ramirez couldn't dig it out. Two runs scored, and the Yankees led 3-0.
"Most of the time, he's going to make that play,'' Yarbrough said of Walls' error, his seventh of the season. "His foot got caught, and it just didn't work out tonight. We're going to trust our defense 10 times out of 10.''
It was a big play, though, one the Rays couldn't overcome. They're now 5.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
"That play kind of changed the complexion of the game a little bit,'' Cash said. "We opened it up a little bit and they took advantage of it. When you're in 0-0 games, it can happen pretty quick.
"In fairness to Wallsy, we've asked a guy (Ramirez) to play first base over there that has not had many reps. I would imagine he'd be the first to say he can make a better throw, but his feet got tangled up a little.''
The Yankees blew the game open with three runs in the ninth, where a throwing error by right fielder Vidal Brujan led to another run.
The outcome took the shine off of Yarbrough's stellar outing. He's now only given up four earned runs in his last four combined appearances, and is hitting his stride after missing the first month of the season with a groin injury.
'"Yarbs has been a very good pitcher for quite some time for us,'' Cash. "Just his numbers alone after his first outing, it's pretty impressive.''
The two teams are back at it on Friday, with a 7:10 p.m. ET start. Jeffrey Springs will start for the Rays against Jameson Taillon of the Yankees
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VIDEO: Watch Ryan Yarbrough's postgame chat
Tom Brew is the publisher of Inside The Rays, and has been with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation network for three years. He is an award-winning writer and editor who has spent most of his four-decade career at the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has written four books.