In the first two games of a pivotal Yankees series in Houston on July 9-10, the home team failed to score at all. Gerrit Cole was the showstopper in the second game, hitting 99 mph on the 129th and final pitch of a complete game shutout. He’s the ace though; we expect him to blow us away from time to time. The starter in the first game began the season in the minors with no expectations whatsoever. Nevertheless, Nestor Cortes’ 4 2/3 shutout innings were par for the course he’s been playing all season.
Cortes sort of snuck into the rotation.