Like a Rainbow of Sunshine. Yankees 7 Oakland 2

May 9, 2023 paperbacklou 2023 0

Like a rainbow of sunshine — the Yankees scored 5 runs in the 6th and 7th innings to easily win their game against the Oakland A’s, 7-2, on a beautiful, 70-degree Monday night in the Bronx.

It was a much needed ray of light for New Yorkers, who had just seen Aaron Boone blow Sunday’s game by leaving Gerrit Cole in too long — the Yanks losing the 3-game series to Tampa to fall 10 games back in dead last in the AL East — and just watching the Knicks lose their Game 4 playoff game against Miami this same Monday night.

Nestor Cortes bounced back from his poor performance in his last start to pitch a shutout through 5 innings, and Oswaldo Cabrera hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 5th for a 2-0 lead.

But before the rainbow came some rain — Nestor tired in the 6th — allowing single, walk, single to leave with bases loaded and nobody out. Ron Marinaccio got a double play to end the inning but not before he allowed 2 of Nestor’s runners to score — and so it was a 2-2 tie into the bottom of the 6th.

That’s when Gleyber Torres homered, and then DJ LeMahieu homered, and later in the 7th Aaron Hicks homered — to send Yankee fans home happy.

“I thought his stuff was there again; I thought he had power behind his stuff,” said manager Aaron Boone about Cortes afterwards. “I think he missed some locations that he wanted — he probably felt like he wasn’t as sharp with his command again. But I thought his stuff was really good. So good to get him back out there, and hopefully that’s a spring board into his next one and we start rolling.”

NY improves to 19-17. Oakland falls to 8-28.

1. Nestor Good

Nestor Cortes came out and did the job — and that was a great thing for NY Yankee fans’ sore eyes to see. He was coming off a strep throat sickness last week, and wasn’t quite himself — he didn’t have command his four-seam fastball — but had his cutter cutting.

“I didn’t have command of my heater today,” said Nestor afterwards. “I couldn’t put people away, and left a lot of pitches over the plate.”

Nestor had a 4-hit shutout going into the 6th, when single, walk, single started the inning.

Marinaccio came in and allowed a run on an infield single, then struck out a batter, but then walked Jace Peterson to force in a run. Tie game 2-2.

But Marinaccio got shortstop Nick Allen to ground into a double play to end the inning. Phew.

2. Oswaldo HR

Old friend JP Sears started for Oakland. The lefty that the Yanks traded to Oakland last July as part of the Frankie Montas deal is having a not-so-great year with Oakland — coming in with an 0-2 5.06 record.

Sears looked good — pitching a shutout thru 4 innings — when Harrison Bader led off with a triple.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to 3rd but with 1 out, Oswaldo Cabrera — the switch hitter batting right — hit a 2-run homer to left.

3. Gleyber and DJ Homer

Oakland tied the game off Cortes in the top of the 6th, but in the bottom of the inning, the Yanks really went to work on Sears. With 1 out, Gleyber Torres hit a 378-foot homer to left.

Anthony Rizzo then singled and DJ LeMahieu hit a 402-foot homer to left center for a 5-2 NY lead. And Sears was gone to the showers.

4. Hamilton Bails Marinaccio Out in 7th

Having allowed a single and a walk in the 6th to allow 2 runs charged to Cortes, Ron Marinaccio got into more trouble in the 7th — a leadoff single then walk.

Ian Hamilton came in with 1st and 2nd, nobody out — and got fielders- choice groundout, strikeout, strikeout to end the threat. NY 5 Oakland 2.

5. Hicks Big Insurance HR

Aaron Hicks put the game away with a 2-run bomb from the left side in the bottom of the 7th.

6. Ramirez Cleans Up

Harold Ramirez cleaned up — pitching a shutout 8th and 9th for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401471544

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