It took facing the worst team in Major League Baseball, but Nestor Cortes finally gave the New York Yankees a shutout performance on the road.
Entering Tuesday night's start against the Chicago White Sox, the funky lefty has struggled mightily on the road this season. Cortes entered the game with a 6.08 ERA on the road and a paltry 9.26 ERA in his last five starts.
But Cortes looked like his 2022 All-Star form even if it came against one of the weakest lineups in the entire league.
The 29-year-old southpaw tossed 7.0 shutout innings, allowing three hits and no walks while tying a season-high nine strikeouts. It was easily his best road start of the season and one of his best starts altogether.
The starting rotation for the Yankees has been in a tailspin over the last two months. Since June 15, the Yankees starters have a league-worst 5.79 ERA.
Cortes has been a major part of those struggles and was nearly traded at the deadline if the Yankees pulled off a deal for Jack Flaherty.
This was an essential win for the Yankees, who were coming off an inexcusable 12-2 loss to the White Sox on Monday night.
With the 4-1 victory, the Yankees enter Wednesday with a 0.5-game lead in the American League East over the Baltimore Orioles.
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