LOVE NEST'
Boone raves over Cortes' stuff in latest big start for Yankees
BALTIMORE — Nestor Cortes Jr. delivered again for the Yankees on Wednesday night.
The left-hander further cemented his role in the rotation with another stellar performance in a 4-3 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, striking out a careerhigh 11, while allowing just one run in 6 ¹/3 innings.
“Overall, that was as good a stuff as he’s had,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “And that’s saying something.”
Cortes has given up more than two runs in just two of his last nine starts and his ERA dipped to 2.60.
Boone and Cortes pointed to the effectiveness of his cutter as the reason for the strikeouts. A two-out homer from Austin Hays in the sixth was Cortes’ only blemish on the night.
➤ Jameson Taillon is optimistic he will be able to be back in the Yankees rotation by next week, but if he has a setback after suffering a right ankle tendon injury in his last start, it could lead to surgery.
“We’ll see where we’re at with games and get it reimaged [after the season],’’ said Taillon, who has had a pair of Tommy John surgeries in his career. “I’ve had enough surgeries. I hope this is one I can avoid.”
A procedure would sideline Taillon into next season, but he was confident even if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be for long.
On Wednesday, Taillon said he “honestly didn’t feel it at all pushing off” during a bullpen session, which lasted about 15 pitches and included his entire repertoire. He threw while wearing a small ankle brace.
“This did nothing to make me think I can’t get back in a game soon after another bullpen,’’ Taillon said.
He came back strong in his last start, against Toronto on Sept. 6, before waking up sore the next day, nearly unable to walk.
Taillon said the improvement he has felt since then — after also receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection — has been a pleasant surprise. He’ll need to go through fielding drills to make sure he can move around well enough to start.
➤ After Domingo German threw two scoreless innings Tuesday in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Boone said the right-hander likely would make one more rehab outing before he rejoins the team. Because German threw just 25 pitches on Tuesday after being sidelined since late July with right shoulder inflammation, he won’t be built up enough to get back into the rotation.
Boone noted, however, that German has experience coming out of the bullpen, so he is familiar with a number of roles and is comfortable pitching in important spots.
➤ Joey Gallo wasn’t in the lineup for Wednesday’s win over the Orioles, who started left-hander John Means, though he entered for leftfield defense in the eighth inning. Boone said Gallo was “beat up” and he wanted to give him a day off. It also allowed Luke Voit to start at DH, with Giancarlo Stanton in left field. Gallo had homered in the Yankees’ previous two games.
➤ Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Rizzo, both nominees for the Roberto Clemente award for their work in the community, wore No. 21 in honor of Roberto Clemente Day. Rizzo was nominated as a Cub. Stanton also wore 21 on Wednesday.