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BALTIMORE — On another hot, steamy day in Baltimore, the conditions were no match for Nestor Cortes.
The lefty delivered another sterling performance in his first start since making his All-Star debut, tossing six scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 6-0 win over the Orioles and left to a standing ovation from the sizable contingent of Yankees fans at Camden Yards.
Before the game, when asked about how the heat might impact Cortes, Aaron Boone said of the 27-year-old who grew up in Hialeah, Fla., “Nestor will be fine.”
He was better than that in a game that gave the Yankees another series win.
The Yankees scored three runs in the third — with Aaron Judge delivering yet another tape-measure homer — and Cortes convinced Boone to let him stay on the mound and get the final out of the sixth after he’d allowed a two-out single to Adley Rutschman.
Cortes then got Ramon Urias to pop out to end his afternoon.
He pitched out of trouble in the second after a mishap in left.
With Rutschman at the plate, the Yankees had four players in the outfield, with Gleyber Torres having moved from second base to left field.
That’s just where Rutschman hit it and Torres dropped it near the warning track for what was initially — and correctly — ruled a two-base error, but later ill-advisedly changed to a double.
Urias followed with a single to right.
But Cortes didn’t let the miscue hurt the Yankees.
With runners on the corners, Cortes struck out Tyler Nevin and Robinson Chirinos to keep the game scoreless.
Right-hander Dean Kremer retired the first seven Yankees he faced before Jose Trevino’s one-out single in the third.
After Joey Gallo popped out to left, DJ LeMahieu delivered a double to the gap in left-center that scored Trevino all the way from first for the game’s first run.
Judge then crushed another long homer to left, a two-run shot, to make it 3-0.
It gave Judge an MLB-leading 37 home runs on the season and four in five games since the All-Star break.
The Yankees had the makings of a rally in the fourth after Torres led off with a walk and Aaron Hicks, who later left the game with an apparent left leg injury, singled to right. Despite getting a bad jump off first, Torres tried to advance to third and was thrown out for the second out.
The bottom of the lineup came through in the top of the sixth.
With two on and two out, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled up the middle to drive in Anthony Rizzo and Trevino followed with a double to right that scored Matt Carpenter to make it 5-0. He ended the day with the first four-hit game of his career.
Cortes cruised through much of his 94-pitch performance, allowing just six hits — and no walks — in six innings, while striking out seven.
It was his second straight strong outing, after he closed out the first half with a good outing against the Reds in The Bronx.
On Sunday, Cortes lowered his ERA to 2.48 and he’s allowed one run or fewer in three of his last four starts.
Clarke Schmidt picked up the save with three scoreless innings in his first action with the Yankees since June 22.
