Can Cortes stop Twins, bring back Yankees into competition with a win?

nestor-cortes-vs-louie-varland
John Allen
Friday April 14, 2023

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New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins: Nestor Cortes vs. Louie Varland

After a torrid Thursday that saw the Twins blasting Jhony Brito to nine runs in the first inning and cruising to a big 11-2 win, the Yankees field Nestor Cortes in Friday’s game to reverse their fortunes. At the same time, the Minnesota Twins hope to keep their three-game winning streak going when they go to play the New York Yankees in the next game.

When: Friday, Apr. 14, 2023.

Time: 7:05 p.m. EDT.

Where: Yankee Stadium, New York.

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, YES Network.

Stream: MLB.tv, DirecTv

Moneyline: Yankees -183, Twins +155; over/under is 8 1/2 runs.

Pitching matchup: Nestor Cortes will start for the Yankees while the Twins have Louie Varland as their starter.

The Yankees are 8-5, and they have a 4-3 record at home. The overall earned run average of the Yankees’ pitching staff is 3.37, which places them in third place in the AL.

Overall, Minnesota has a record of 9-4, and they are 5-2 on the road. With a team earned run average of 2.46, the Twins are currently in second place among all major league teams.

The two teams will compete against one another for the second time this year on Friday. The Yankees have a record of 6-4 in their last 10 games, with a batting average of 0.00, an earned run average of 3.68, and a run differential of +10.

Until Thursday night, the Yankees hadn’t given up nine or more runs in the first inning of a game in the last 23 years and Minnesota had lost 13 of its previous 16 games against the Yankees.

Starting from July 2014, the Yankees emerged winners in 14 of 16 series they played against the Twins. The Yankees lost to the Twins for the first time since July 14, 1995, that game that saw them giving up 11 runs.

Yankees to start with Nestor Cortes

Nestor Cortes is pitching against the Phillies at Yankee Stadium, April 3, 2023.

Cortes is one of the most reliable starters for the Yankees. In his two starts, he was dominant against both Philadelphia and Baltimore teams. When the left-hander last pitched on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles. He went 5 1/3 innings and gave up two earned runs. Cortes has had two starts in a row of at least five innings. In the last game, the Orioles tried to distract him with glove alteration allegations, but Cortes, in his 19 2/3 innings against the O’s, had given up just one earned run and struck out 31 batters. 

Yankees Injured List: DJ LeMahieu, Jonathan Loaisiga, Tommy Kahnle, Josh Donaldson, Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Harrison Bader, Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino, Luis Gil, Scott Effross, Ben Rortvedt.

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