Cortes dealt rare home setback: 'I just have to be better'

NEW YORK -- Left-hander Nestor Cortes has always called Yankee Stadium home -- and for good reason. Entering Saturday’s action against the Rays, Cortes was 13-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 39 career starts there, and hitters were 159-for-808 (.197) against him. The Rays ignored those numbers and hit Cortes hard as the Yankees lost, 9-1.

Cortes held Tampa Bay scoreless in the first two innings before walks in the next two innings proved costly. In the third, Alex Jackson -- an .082 hitter entering the game -- led off with a walk. After Amed Rosario singled to put runners on first and second, Isaac Paredes hit into a double play, and it looked as if Cortes was going to get out of the inning. But he then allowed a double to Curtis Mead, scoring Jackson.

The following inning, the Rays had a runner on first with two outs when Cortes walked Taylor Walls -- a .158 hitter entering the game -- and then allowed a three-run homer to Jackson to make it a 4-0 game.

“The walks hurt you,” Cortes said. “When you walk … the bottom of the lineup, you give it the chance to turn over. That’s not ideal. I just have to be better.”

The next inning was just as bad. Cortes allowed home runs to Paredes and Randy Arozarena before he was taken out of the game in favor of Michael Tonkin.

“It’s tough to pitch in the big leagues when you don’t have your good stuff,” Cortes said. “Early on, it was pretty good, and then I lost a little bit of the outside rail with the fastball and I was behind in the count a lot.

“[The Rays are] a team that I faced a few times already. I feel like they know what all my strengths are. It’s about being able to command and spot your pitches more than anything else. That’s what it came down to. I felt I didn’t locate as best as I could.”

The Yankees’ hitters couldn’t get anything going against Rays right-hander Taj Bradley, who pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed one hit, which came in the first inning when Ben Rice led off with a double to right-center field. It was smooth sailing for Bradley, who got 10 straight outs on ground balls before getting Juan Soto to fly out to center fielder Jose Siri to end the sixth inning.

"I think that's [a testament] to the stuff that we had on the mound, the way we were attacking guys, the way we were coming after guys, trying to force them to make decisions,” said Jackson, Bradley’s batterymate. “Instead of being on the defense, just keeping on the offense and forcing them to try to put the ball in play and to make good decisions."

Said Yankees manager Aaron Boone: “Taj came in throwing the ball really well, and that continued today. It wasn't necessarily the strikeout ball today, but that change of shape [with other pitches]. He was off our barrel enough to not allow us to do much against him, either. Tough day for us. Partly that, you have a hot pitcher that came in and executed.”

Bradley extended his scoreless streak to 17 innings dating back to July 6 against the Rangers. It marks the longest scoreless streak by a Rays pitcher this season. It helped that Bradley’s mother was in attendance, and the hecklers at the stadium didn’t bother him after he saw her in the stands.

"Yeah, I was excited. Even in the bullpen, you get heckled and stuff, like, 'He's already sweating!' I'm like, 'Yeah, there's humidity out here. Yeah, I'm sweating.' I don't know, just getting out there, hearing that and stuff like that, I found my mom in the stands right away. I told you I could hear her. That's how I found her."

Carlos Narvaez provided one of the few highlights for the Yankees, slapping a single into right in the ninth for his first Major League hit. The 25-year-old Narvaez was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a week earlier after spending the past seven seasons in the Minors.

Narvaez was emotional after the game. He dedicated the hit to his father, who was his first baseball coach.

“He has got to be crying right now,” Narvaez said about his father. “He is my hero. He was with me when I was young. He was my first coach when I was 3 years old. He has been with me forever. I have [too many feelings] right now. It has been amazing.”