Nestor Cortes’ struggle with fastball costs Yankees in loss to Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Nestor Cortes spent the first three innings Saturday pitching without an important ingredient to his success.

By the time he found it, the damage was already done.

Cortes had trouble commanding his four-seam fastball, and notably left two over the heart of the plate that the Rays turned into home runs on the way to a 7-2 win over the Yankees at Tropicana Field.

“It’s tough to pitch in this league without a fastball, that’s for sure,” Cortes said after giving up four runs across 5 ¹/₃ innings. “I felt like every time I would try to throw a fastball in the zone, it was getting hit. I think I wasn’t able to establish it early. That’s why when I would go back to it again, it was getting hit hard.”

Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena, who entered the day off to quiet starts, ganged up on Cortes and then came back for more against the Yankees’ bullpen.

They both homered off Cortes and combined to go 5-for-7 with three doubles, two home runs, five runs and six RBIs to even the series ahead of Sunday’s rubber game.