The New York Yankees are in a fight with the Baltimore Orioles for the American League East division title, and they picked up their second consecutive shutout Saturday over the Chicago Cubs when Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter in a 2-0 triumph.
Schmidt got the start in the game and went 4.2 inning, while Cortes came on in the fifth inning and pitched the rest of the way for the victory.
While Cortes took the ball after manager Aaron Boone made the call to the bullpen and pitched superbly, he was not thrilled with his new role. Cortes has been a starter throughout the season and that's the role he would prefer to keep.
He did not attempt to hide his feelings after he limited the Cubs to one base on balls in 4.1 innings and no hits during his stint on the mound.
“Obviously, I was upset. I feel like amongst all the starters, I’ve been the workhorse here,” Cortes said, per Bryan Hoch of Major League Baseball. “Once [Gerrit] Cole went down, they picked me to be the Opening Day starter; not necessarily the No. 1, but the Opening Day starter. I had to switch my routine there, and now they do this.”
Cortes will go back in the starting rotation shortly
The move of Cortes to the bullpen does not appear to be a permanent change in the Yankees pitching plans. Manager Aaron Boone said that Cortes would return to the rotation when the Yankees host the Boston Red Sox in a series next weekend.
Despite that pronouncement by Boone, Cortes obviously was not pleased with the change in his status. His tone indicated that the move to the bullpen was not something that was in his personal game plan.
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“I’m never going to back down from a challenge, I’m never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You’re always going to get my best effort, no matter if I’m happy or not. That’s what I did today. I just came out there and proved that I can be put in any situation, and from here on out, if that’s what’s my role, then I’ll accept it.”
The Yankees improved to 82-60 with the victory, and they are tied with the Orioles for first place in the division.
Nestor Cortes improved to 9-10 as he was credited with the victory against the Cubs. He had started in all 28 games he had appeared in prior to his stint against the Cubs and had 159.0 innings to his credit. Cortes struck out 144 batters and had allowed 155 hits while giving up 32 bases on balls.
