Yankees make Luzardo pay for his mistakes

NEW YORK -- After winning their first game of the season Sunday against the Cardinals, the Marlins traveled north and couldn’t carry the momentum into Yankee Stadium. Miami was pounded by New York, 7-0, on Monday night for its 10th loss in its first 11 games.

Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo navigated through the Yankees’ lineup over the first three innings without allowing a run. But then he lost it in the fourth as the Bronx Bombers scored six runs. Anthony Volpe and Juan Soto provided the scoring with three-run homers.

Luzardo couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. After allowing a leadoff double to Giancarlo Stanton, Luzardo struck out Anthony Rizzo and Volpe, but he couldn’t record that third out. Alex Verdugo singled to center field, scoring Stanton, and Jose Trevino followed with a walk before Luzardo was taken out of the game in favor of right-hander Burch Smith.

“I fell behind. … [The Yankees] took some good ABs, and I left some pitches over the plate, especially the one to Soto. I mean, the walks really killed me,” Luzardo said. “I just have to make better pitches at the end of the day. Maybe it was just the wrong pitch. But I have to find a way to figure it out.”

Manager Skip Schumaker felt Luzardo lost his fastball command in the fourth and fifth innings.

“A hanging changeup to Soto and a decent pitch to Volpe that he hit out,” Schumaker said. “Again, when you are behind in the count to [the Yankees], a very good lineup, you put yourself in a tough spot, and they capitalized each time.”

"I think it's contagious. Everyone has trust in each other that the next guy can get it done, so we want to come through,” Volpe said.

Miami was no match for left-hander Nestor Cortes, who pitched eight innings, allowing two hits and striking out six. His fastball command was superb.

“[Cortes] kept us off balance," Schumaker said. "The fastball, changeup and slider were really good. So it messed with our timing. He was outstanding tonight.”

Cortes noticed that the Marlins had big swings, and it allowed him to throw changeups.

“I got into counts where I was able to throw it, and I executed it really well,” Cortes said. “I think that was the biggest thing today; executing the changeup down and away was pinpoint, so it was good.”

Cortes retired the first 10 Marlins he faced before Bryan De La Cruz singled to right field in the fourth. De La Cruz collected the only other hit against Cortes, a single leading off the seventh.

“As you know, Cortes is a competitive guy out there. I’m also very competitive. He was working me outside, so I made the adjustments to work on those pitches outside,” De La Cruz said through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “If you saw [Sunday, when he went 3-for-5], my timing is back again. I was just working on those outside pitches.”

After a 1-10 start, everybody on the Marlins is saying the right thing. The season is far from over, and the team expects to pile up the wins soon. Remember, this is the same team that was in the playoffs last year.

“Right now, I don’t think anyone is looking at the record at this point,” Luzardo said. “We are all just going out there and trying to win day by day. If you look at it as 1-10, you are going to dig yourself deeper in another hole. It’s just more of going out there and being your best every day, which is extra frustrating like today.”