Nestor Cortes Struggles as Yankees Fall to Twins
In a disappointing outing for Nestor Cortes, the Yankees fell to the Minnesota Twins with a score of 10-7. Cortes, who had previously excelled in spring training with just one run allowed over four innings, experienced his worst performance to date.
Cortes pitched 3.1 innings, throwing 62 pitches and giving up six runs on nine hits and one walk. Despite striking out six batters, his ERA for the spring season rose to 8.10 after this game. The left-hander was removed from the game during a challenging second inning, which featured a bases-clearing triple from Byron Buxton, who also homered off Cortes earlier.
On a brighter note, Austin Wells continued to impress with his bat, hitting his second home run in two consecutive games. The young catcher’s offensive prowess is evident with a 3-for-6 record, two home runs, and five RBI in his last two games.
In the bullpen, Nick Burdi struggled in his inning of work, giving up a run on two hits and one walk, despite striking out one batter. Throughout four appearances, Burdi has allowed two runs in four innings while recording eight strikeouts.
Before the game, it was announced that INF Oswald Peraza would be sidelined for 6-8 weeks due to a shoulder injury, leaving an Opening Day spot vacant for other infielders to fill. Josh VanMeter capitalized on this opportunity by hitting a two-run home run after starting the game 0-for-14. Jahmai Jones and Oswaldo Cabrera also made appearances, with mixed results at the plate.
Everson Pereira provided a glimmer of hope for the Yankees with a two-run single in the eighth inning, cutting the Twins’ lead to 8-7. However, the bullpen faltered in the bottom of the inning, leading to two more runs for the Twins.
Looking ahead, the Yankees will face the Atlanta Braves at home on Sunday, with Clarke Schmidt taking the mound against AJ Smith-Shawver.