Yanks’ Nestor Cortes holds Rangers hitless through 7 innings

NEW YORK (AP) — Eli White singled with one out in the eighth inning for the first hit by the Texas Rangers off the New York Yankees’ Nestor Cortes on Monday.

With the score 0-0, the Rangers’ No. 9 batter lofted a 2-2 fastball into short center field for a clean hit on Cortes’ 103rd pitch. Cortes was relieved by Clay Holmes, who got Marcus Semien to ground into a double play.

A 27-year-old left-hander making his 22nd big league start and sixth this season, Cortes pitched a career-high 7 1/3 innings and struck out 11, one shy of his high. He walked four: Jonah Heim in the second, White in the sixth and Corey Seager and Nick Solak in the seventh.

Cortes threw 68 pitches.

New York had just two hits against Jon Gray, a two-out single in the fourth by Josh Donaldson and a leadoff single in the fifth by former Ranger Joey Gallo.

Gray was replaced by Brock Burke with one out in the fifth because of what appeared to be an injury. Jose Trevino singled and DJ LeMahieu walked before Burke escaped bases-loaded trouble by striking out Aaron Judge and throwing a called third strike past Anthony Rizzo.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium, Monday, May 9, 2022, in New York.

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