The old adage is, “If you’re going to lose — Lose.” The Yankees LOST.
The good news: they didn’t waste a great pitching performance, and lose 1-0 or something like that. That would have really sucked.
Instead, as top young pitcher Taj Bradley was shutting them out on 1 hit through 7 innings, Nestor Cortes got walloped for 6 runs in the first 5 innings — by the 4th it was 4-0 Tampa, by the 5th it was 6-0 Tampa, and then rookie Josh Maciejewski was brought in and it was 8-0 by the 7th, and 9-0 in the 9th.
The Yankees got 4 of their 5 hits in the game in the last 2 innings, and scored a run in the 9th for the final score. Ben Rice actually led off the game with a double, then Bradley got on a ROLL.
On a warm (85 degrees), humid, cloudy Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.
“He was locating pretty well,” said Ben Rice about Bradley. “Not just his fastball at the top of the zone, but he was able to get his off speed to where he wanted to as well. Feel like he was able to keep us a little bit off balance today.”
“He just kind of got into a rhythm,” added Rice. And we were playing into his game plan — I did it too my next couple of at bats: swinging at some edge pitches and some stuff that’s hard to hit hard. Hats off to him he was locating well tonite.”
NY falls to 59-41 and fall to 2 games back of Baltimore, which won. Tampa improves to 49-49.
1. Cortes Couldn’t Command & Locate
Nestor Cortes has pitched well at Yankee Stadium this year, but on this afternoon didn’t have his best stuff.
He pitched a shutout first 2 innings, then got into trouble in the 3rd, allowing a walk and single, then getting a double play — but allowing a 2-out RBI double to Curtis Mead and it was 1-0 Tampa.
In the 3rd, Cortes allowed a 1-out single and 2-out walk, then Alex Jackson popped one into the first row of seats just over the wall 364 feet away in right center. Tampa 4 NY 0.
Alex Jackson makes it 4⃣ in the 4th pic.twitter.com/Uy2CM9XlTl
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 20, 2024
Isaac Paredes led off the 5th with a solo homer to left to make it 5-0, and Randy Arozarena hit a solo homer to left center with 1 out to make it 6-0 — the final pitch for Cortes as he was yanked at 92 pitches.
“It’s tough to pitch in the big leagues when you don’t have your best stuff,” said Nestor afterwards. “Early on it was pretty good, then lost a little bit of the outside rim with the fastball, and was behind in the count a lot. This is a team I’ve faced quite a few times already, and I feel they know what my strengths are. It’s about being able to command and spot your pitches more than anything else; and that’s what it came down to today I feel I didn’t locate as best I can.”
“What it comes down to is commanding pitches and locating pitches. I feel that no matter how many times you face a team, when you command it well, and are able to throw pitches where you want to throw them, and throw some wrinkles in there, that’s when you have the most success. I didn’t do that today.”
2. Bradley Rolled
Meanwhile Taj Bradley rolled. He is in his 2nd season — in 2022 Baseball America listed him as the #18 prospect in all of baseball. He came into the game with a 4-4 2.90 record, and leaves at 5-4 2.63.
Taj Bradley, Filthy 92mph Cutter. ✂️
3rd K pic.twitter.com/qEvpCLBXx1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2024
“We knew coming in he’s obviously pitching great for them,” said Boone of Bradley. “Really good arm; really good stuff. He didn’t punch us a ton today, but I thought he changed shapes a lot. He’s got 97-98 with the fastball; looked like the cutter shape changed all day; he mixed in some bigger slower ones; had a good split going. So he had a lit bit of everything going and a different look all day long; and just kind of kept us at bay and stayed off the barrel.”
Taj Bradley’s 2Ks in the 7th. pic.twitter.com/q4OeWNhJMx
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 20, 2024
3. Tonkin Good
Michael Tonkin got the last 2 outs of the 5th and pitched a shutout 6th — another excellent outing.
4. Maciejewski Sent Down After Game
Josh Maciejewski allowed a 2-run homer to Randy Arozarena in the 7th — a run charged to Tonkin who had walked the first batter of the inning, but then retired the rest of the side and pitched a shutout 8th, before allowing a run in the 9th on a single, double and groundout.
He was sent back down to the minors after the game — just up to get some experience and eat some innings.
5. Yanks Get a Run in 9th
Anthony Volpe got the Yanks’ 2nd hit of the game with a 1-out double in the 8th, and in the 9th, Juan Soto led off with a triple and scored on a groundout by Jahmai Jones.
Carlos Narvaez — who is the current backup catcher with Jose Trevino out — pinch hit for Austin Wells in the 9th and got his first hit in the big leagues.
Congrats on your first hit in The Show, Carlos ? pic.twitter.com/O4mdG8M83l
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 20, 2024
Gleyber Torres singled after Narvaez but Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out for the old ballgame.
Be the first to comment