Hitters in for rough day against Cortes and Ray

After a bumpy run through June and July, it looks as if Nestor Cortes has regained his form for the Yankees. Cortes has posted a 1.93 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over his last four outings (23 ¹/3 innings) and has held opponents to a .188 batting average in that span.

The 27-year-old lefty’s batted-ball data looks terrific. A master at inducing weak contact by changing speeds and messing with timing, Cortes is allowing just an 18.5% hard-hit rate over his last four outings, which is nearly nine points better than his season-long number (27.2%).

Robbie Ray will get the nod for the Mariners on getaway day and even though he and Cortes throw with the same hand, the similarities end there. While Cortes uses deception to get results, Ray is a power pitcher who averages 11.1 strikeouts per 9 innings over his career.

Ray has found his rhythm recently, posting a 2.75 ERA and 10.98 K/9 over his last 10 starts. Ray’s peripheral metrics back up his strong form, as he’s allowing less hard contact (30.3% hard hit rate) and owns a 2.97 xFIP over that span.

Both Cortes and Ray have endured bumps throughout this season, but coming into Wednesday, the two left-handers look to be trending in the right direction. Trust the pitching matchup to get the Under home.

THE PLAY: Yankees-Mariners Under 7.5