Cortes takes first Bronx loss since '22 as bats falter in clutch

NEW YORK -- The Yankees had A’s left-hander Alex Wood on the ropes throughout Thursday’s game at Yankee Stadium, but they couldn’t get the big hit and lost to Oakland, 3-1.

The two clubs ended up splitting the four-game series, and won’t see each other again until Sept. 20-22 when they play a three-game series in Oakland.

It was a game that saw New York go 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position against Wood and four relievers. Take the first inning, when the Yankees had the bases loaded with no outs, only to see the threat fizzle out when Giancarlo Stanton struck out and Anthony Rizzo hit into a double play.

"Bases loaded and no outs, to punch out Stanton and then get a double play, that felt pretty good,” Wood said. “It kept us in it. The game could have got out of hand in the first inning, especially against a lineup like that. I was happy to get out of there unscathed, just felt really good overall."

Three innings later, the Yankees wasted another bases-loaded opportunity -- this time with one out. Jose Trevino, who hit a solo homer in the second, bounced into a double play to end the threat.

In the fifth, the Bronx Bombers had another scoring chance, but with runners on first and second and two outs, Stanton grounded into a forceout. Wood lasted 5 2/3 innings, qualifying for his first victory of the season with Oakland.

Entering the game, Wood’s 7.89 ERA was the second highest among pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched. Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs had the highest, at 12.00.

“[Wood] obviously made some pitches and put us on the ground during some key spots,” Boone said. "We were unable to cash them in other than the [Trevino] homer.

“It’s one of those games where you get all those opportunities," Boone continued. "You want to take advantage. Ultimately, you want to create that traffic, but you have to deliver on it and we were not able to do that tonight.”

Yankee Stadium is "no place like home" for Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes, but despite tossing a quality start -- three runs in seven innings -- he took his first loss in the Bronx since Aug. 16, 2022, against the Rays. From that date until last Saturday against the Rays, Cortes won five games.

The third inning ended up costing him the game. With one out, Nick Allen tied the score at 1-1 with a home run over the left-field wall. Three batters later, Tyler Nevin hit a two-run shot over the right-field wall to give Oakland a two-run lead.

“I thought we threw too many fastballs to Allen,” Cortes said. “With Nevin, he looked very bad in his first at-bat with the fastball in. I threw him a cutter prior to that home run pitch. He didn’t look very comfortable. If I go in there, we would probably get a different result.”

A's fireballing closer Mason Miller recorded the last four outs, getting Aaron Judge to fly out to right field as the potential tying run in the ninth.

“There are a lot of teams out there, that when they have the lead, you are going to see really good stuff coming out of there," said Boone. "Certainly, the A’s have that. It’s a tough one, because of the chances to really grab this game a couple of times. We were not able to get through.”