Nestor Cortes bounced back from his dreadful Milwaukee Brewers debut by allowing just one hit over six innings in a 1-0 victory over the slumping Cincinnati Reds on Thursday.
The Reds lost 1-0 for a third straight game after falling by that score to the Texas Rangers each of the previous two days. According to Sportradar, the Reds are the first team to lose three consecutive games 1-0 since the Philadelphia Phillies in May 1960.
It’s happened six times in the majors, four of those from 1908-17.
Cortes (1-1) was pitching five nights after allowing homers on each of his first three pitches in a 20-9 loss to the New York Yankees, his former team. Cortes yielded eight runs, five walks and six hits in two innings of a game that helped draw attention to the Yankees’ use of “torpedo bats.”
He was much sharper Thursday, striking out six and walking two. The Reds’ only hit off Cortes was a one-out double by Jose Trevino in the third.
[Related: 9 home runs and a homecoming: Unpacking a historic day at Yankee Stadium]
Joel Payamps retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save.
Cincinnati’s Nick Lodolo (1-1) allowed one unearned run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Lodolo didn’t allow a baserunner for the first three innings. In the fourth, Jackson Chourio led off with a ground-rule double, and a fielding error by Lodolo allowed William Contreras to reach with one out. Sal Frelick drove in Chourio with a two-out single.
The Reds put two runners on with one out in the seventh against Elvis Peguero, who then retired Spencer Steer and Santiago Espinal on fly balls to center.
Cincinnati is the first team to get shut out in three straight games since the Washington Nationals last September.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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