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The recent vintage Yankees can’t reflect emotionally on their visits to Minute Maid Park, associating this building with some great battles that led to end-of-season heartbreak. There is no time like the present to reverse this script.
Playing their first game in Houston since the 2019 playoffs, Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu each contributed two doubles points while Nestor Cortes pitched scoreless in another superb start, leading the Yankees to a 4-0 victory over the Astros Friday night.
“You can’t help but think about the past sometimes,” Gardner said. “It’s a new season, a new group of guys. Our mission is to find a way to get back into this thing and try to get back in position to reach the playoffs. We have a long way to go and a long way to go.
New York has improved to 3-1 this season against Houston, although at 45-42 the Yanks still lag the Red Sox to the top of the division by nine games.
“For us it’s really important because of the situation we find ourselves in right now,” said shortstop Gleyber Torres. “We are focused on winning as many games as possible. It doesn’t matter whether we play in Houston or not; it’s just winning the games and trying to move each series forward.
The longest-serving Yankee – and one who experienced the utter silence of a defeated visitors’ clubhouse as the Astros advanced into 2017 and 19 – Gardner opened the scoring with a two-out knockout in the fourth inning.
It was the Bombers’ only significant shot against Jake Odorizzi, who dispersed seven hits in six innings, but Cortes was better, combining three relievers on a three-hit shutout.
“He’s been huge for us tonight, just like he seemed to be every time he throws for us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Texas native Lucas Luetge came in as the roster flipped in the fifth, hitting Jose Altuve to end the frame, then put in a perfect sixth to clinch the victory. Chad Green shot two scoreless innings and Jonathan Loaisiga recorded the last three strikeouts.
“We all know what’s at stake,” Gardner said. “We know where we are in the season, with the [All-Star] the break is approaching and the [July 30] Exchange deadline in just a few weeks. We have our backs to the wall a little. Playing baseball well is imperative.
Nasty nestor
Boone said he was hoping for three or four innings from Cortes, who instead provided 14 strikeouts on 74 shots. The 26-year-old mustache knocked the Astros off balance with an assortment of fastballs, sliders and curves, frequently altering his delivery as he lowered his ERA to 1.05.
“I think my business has improved a bit. My order has also improved a lot, ”Cortes said. “I think that’s what works the most for me. A lot of people think I’m a cunning southpaw, which I am to a point, but I think my pitches have gotten a bit sharper.
The Yankees’ Scranton / Wilkes-Barre Triple-A roster made a bushy mustache growing board game earlier this year; some erased the slate soon after arriving in New York, but Cortes did not.
“It’s a different look,” Cortes said. “Obviously the Yankees don’t allow facial hair, but they do allow mustaches. It’s something I roll with. Maybe this brings me luck.
Boone said he criticized Cortes’ look when he was promoted, but now the manager sees it as a calling card that “looks good on him.”
“No moment is too big for him,” Gardner added. “He’s a very balanced guy who works hard and is always ready to go.”
A Texas-sized Showdown
LeMahieu provided insurance with a formidable 10 shots at bat to right-hander Bryan Abreu in the seventh, hammering a curved ball to left field that conceded two runs.
Abreu threw two curved balls to throw LeMahieu into a 0-2 hole, but the defending batting champion fouled four pitches while taking three out of the strike zone, making the full count. Abreu’s 10th throw was an inside hanger, and LeMahieu strapped it to the dash.
“I had a few really good drummers before me,” said LeMahieu. “I was just trying to follow that and keep the line moving. He gave me some good throws, and I put a good swing on one.
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