Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes pitch Yankees to 2-0 win over Cubs

The Yankees secured the series win with a 2-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Here are some takeaways…

– Clarke Schmidt was tremendous as he made his first start since returning from the injured list. The right-hander cruised through the first four innings, allowing just three baserunners on a walk and two singles, before he ran into some trouble in the fifth. Schmidt allowed a two-out triple in the bottom of the fifth before handing things over to Nestor Cortes, who got Christian Bethancourt to pop out to end the inning.

Schmidt threw 75 pitches and he allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out two across 4.2 innings of work. Getting him back in the mix will certainly be a nice boost for the Yanks rotation down the stretch in the race for the AL East title, as he pitched to a 2.52 ERA and 1.14 WHIP across his first 11 outings before landing on the IL.

– Making a brief role switch to the bullpen, Cortes put together a strong outing behind Schmidt, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just one walk and striking out three. The southpaw is expected to make his return to the starting rotation next week during the four-game set against the Red Sox, but if the Yanks do decide to bump him to the bullpen during the playoffs it was certainly a strong audition.

– The Yanks offense wasn’t able to get much going in this one, but their aggressiveness on the bases helped them create a run in the top of the sixth. With two runners on and two outs, Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm attempted a double steal and after Bethancourt’s throw went into left field, Judge darted home with New York’s second run of the afternoon.

– Judge came up with an opportunity to do some damage with two on and two outs in the top of the seventh, but Tyson Miller got him to fly out to center to end the inning. The star outfielder was held hitless but he has still been able to reach base safely in each of the Yanks’ six games to open the month of September.

– Austin Wells has continued producing out of the cleanup spot, driving in three runs over the first two games of this series. The young catcher has cooled off a bit of late, but he’s hitting .299 with six doubles, six homers, 24 RBI, and a .891 OPS during the second-half of the season. He also threw out speedsters Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong trying to steal second in back-to-back innings.

Game MVP: Clarke Schmidt

Schmidt didn’t stick around long when to earn the win in his return from the injured list, but he certainly deserved it, allowing just five baserunners across 4.2 innings of work.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

Gerrit Cole takes the mound against old friend Jameson Taillon as the Yankees go for the three-game sweet of the Cubs on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. at Wrigley Field.