In their first day of a grueling stretch, the New York Yankees encountered cool conditions and little offense in a doubleheader split.
The weather is expected to warm up somewhat, and the Yankees hope to produce more offense Monday afternoon when they host the Texas Rangers in the final game of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees are playing their third game in a stretch of 23 games in 22 days after consecutive rainouts forced a doubleheader on Sunday in windy conditions with temperatures in the 50s.
“It’s going to be just one at a time,” New York first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “I’d rather be doing this in May than in the end of September going into the playoffs. These are stretches throughout the year that you usually always have one or two.”
The Yankees opened the doubleheader with a 2-1 win when Gleyber Torres opened the ninth inning with a game-ending homer. Texas claimed a split when pinch hitter Brad Miller hit a two-run homer in the seventh off Michael King, who last allowed a run on April 11.
New York is looking to avoid its second losing streak of the season. The Yankees are 12-2 in their past 14 games and can join the New York Mets as the second team to reach 20 wins when they take the field under what are expected to be sunny skies and temperatures in the low 60s.
Texas is 5-1 over its past six games and has won nine of 15 since getting off to a 2-9 start. Miller has the game-winning hit in two of the Rangers’ past five wins after also getting a two-run double in the 10th inning of Wednesday’s 2-1 win in Philadelphia.
“Our guys were ready to play after the first one,” Texas manager Chris Woodward said. “We couldn’t wait to get back on the field, to be honest with you. You lose that first one, you kind of have to go put it aside and play the next one.”
New York starting pitchers have allowed three earned runs or fewer in 26 of 27 starts after Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery reached the seventh Sunday, and Nestor Cortes (1-1, 1.82 ERA) looks to continue the Yankees’ run of effective starts.
Cortes is also hoping to rebound from his first loss of the season. He last pitched Wednesday in Toronto when he allowed two runs on four hits and tied a career high by allowing four walks in four innings.
Cortes is 0-0 with a 10.57 ERA in four career appearances against Texas. His only start against the Rangers was Sept. 20, 2021, when he allowed three runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
After Dane Dunning took a no-hitter into the sixth and Glenn Otto pitched five innings of two-run ball in the doubleheader, Texas will start Jon Gray (0-1, 7.50), who is making his second start since returning from a sprained left knee.
Gray returned Tuesday in Philadelphia and allowed three runs and five hits in three innings during a no-decision in a 6-4 Texas win.
Gray, who signed a $56 million, four-year deal with Texas, is making his second career start against the Yankees. He last faced them June 22, 2016, for Colorado when he allowed four runs in four innings in a no-decision at New York.
–Field Level Media