The New York Yankees came back down to Earth on Tuesday night, suffering their first loss of the season in a 7-0 defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
After starting the season 5-0, which included an incredible four-game road sweep of the Houston Astros, it was eventual that the Yankees would find themselves in the loss column. Going against Diamondbacks ace Zac Gallen made things even more difficult.
Tuesday night offered a glimpse into what it's like in the baseball realm. One day, the Yankees look like an unstoppable force. The next, they could barely get out of their own way.
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Nestor Cortes' early struggles continue
As the rotation came back around to the top, Cortes got the ball looking to improve on a shaky, but viable Opening Day start. However, things remained the same for the funky southpaw. His early struggles with command led to an early 3-0 lead for the Diamondbacks, but he would eventually settle down.
Cortes gave up three runs in the top of the first inning, and it would have been more had it not been for an unlikely double play the Yankees turned on a safety squeeze.
Seven players came to the plate that inning, five of whom recorded a hit against Cortes. He eventually settled down, though, allowing three hits, no runs and two walks over the next four innings. In total, Cortes tossed 5.0 innings pitched, allowing eight hits, three runs and two walks while striking out two on 88 pitches.
Yankees offense blanked
There's a first time for everything it seems.
After putting together some incredible at-bats through the first five games of the season, the Yankees simply had no answer for the aforementioned Gallen. To be fair, not many teams have figured that out.
Gallen dominated the Yankees lineup, allowing just three hits and three walks across 6.0 shutout innings. He struck out six batters on 96 pitches—though he got some help from the umpire on one of them.
The struggles for Aaron Judge continued as he failed to log a hit in three at-bats while working one walk. Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton continued to struggle as the protection for Judge as their OPS fell to .535 and .540, respectively. Stanton struck out three times.
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What's next?
The Yankees and Diamondbacks are set for the rubber match of this three-game series Wednesday afternoon with first pitch set for 3:40 p.m. ET.
The Yankees will roll out left-hander Carlos Rodon, who is seeking his first win of the season. The Diamondbacks will start Merrill Kelly, who dominated the Colorado Rockies in his season debut.
