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Nestor Cortés usually gets good run support from the Yankees. Not last night, at Target Field in Minneapolis. And it might not have mattered if he had gotten it.
He was staked to an early lead, as DJ LeMahieu singled a run home in the top of the 1st inning. But he gave up 2 runs to the Minnesota Twins in the bottom of the 3rd. A groundout and an error tied the game in the 4th, but that would be the best the Yankees could do.
Cortés gave up a 2-run homer in the 6th, and that was it for him. Ron Marinaccio gave up another before getting out of that inning.
Twins 6, Yankees 2. WP: Joe Ryan (5-0). No save. LP: Cortés (3-1). This clinched the Twins' 1st win in any series over the Yankees since 2001. Brandon Buxton, who hit one of the home runs, said of the last time it happened, "I was 6!"
The Yankees have had a lot of success against the Twins over the last 25 years. But if they can't beat the Twins anymore, there's a problem.
The team simply isn't hitting. Last night, Anthony Volpe got 2 hits, which raised his batting average to .211. Willie Calhoun, who shouldn't be playing at all, got 2 hits, and that raised his average to .192. Aaron Hicks got a hit, and that raised his average to .129. Franchy Cordero fell to .160, and Oswald Peraza to .158.
This is unacceptable. And we're already 7 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division.
The series concludes this afternoon. Domingo Germán starts against Kenta Maeda.