CLEVELAND — The rainout that pushed Game 2 to Friday took Nestor Cortes out of serious consideration to start Game 5, which had been Aaron Boone’s plan.
But Cortes said Sunday he’d be available to do whatever he’s asked to do in Monday’s decisive game in The Bronx.
He even was available to pitch Sunday night if needed.
Jameson Taillon will take the mound to start Monday, but Cortes may not be too far behind.
Asked how much he thought he could pitch on two days’ rest, Cortes said: “Realistically, as long as the body allows.”
With the Yankees bullpen a mess due to injuries and four games in four days, the Yankees have had to get creative and Cortes said he didn’t think there would be a “set limit” of pitches if he gets in the game.
“The season is on the line [Monday], so if I feel good, I hope they let me ride if I’m in there,’’ Cortes said.
On Sunday, Cortes said he would have been used if Wandy Peralta had been forced into the game earlier and the Yankees needed someone for Cleveland’s lefty hitters later in the game.
But Gerrit Cole went seven innings, Clay Holmes pitched a scoreless eighth and Peralta was efficient in picking up the save in the ninth in a 4-2 win in Game 4 at Progressive Field.
Cortes said he began to prepare to be used on short rest as soon as Friday’s Game 2 loss ended.
Aaron Boone said “we’ll see” when asked how he might use Cortes on Monday.
“Hopefully I won’t have to use him,’’ the manager said. “But he’ll be ready to go.”
Aaron Hicks’ inclusion in the lineup was a domino effect of the Yankees benching shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa after he had another tough time in the field in Game 3.
Rookie Oswaldo Cabrera, who had started the first three games of the series in left field, replaced Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, opening left field for Hicks (0-for-2 with a walk).
It marked Hicks’ first appearance since the regular-season finale on Oct. 5, which he started in center field.
“He’s worked really hard to stay sharp,” Boone said before the game. “I feel like in the month of September, where he had lost some playing time, he was actually swinging the bat pretty well when he was getting his opportunities. Hopefully that can continue to be the case. Like him at the bottom with his ability to get on base and hopefully he can help us tonight.”
Hicks finished the regular season going 0-for-14 with four walks and eight strikeouts over his final five games. Before that, he had turned in a solid stretch — going 11-for-25 with two doubles and two home runs in eight games from Sept. 16-28 — despite some inconsistent playing time with Cabrera establishing himself as the starting left fielder and Harrison Bader coming off the injured list to take over center field.
Still, Hicks had been passed over twice in the series before Sunday. In Game 2 on Friday, after Tim Locastro had pinch-run for Giancarlo Stanton earlier in the game, the light-hitting outfielder batted for himself in the 10th inning against Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase. Hicks, who still posted a .330 on-base percentage this season in an otherwise brutal year, had said he was prepared to pinch-hit if the Guardians had gone to the bullpen, but instead Boone opted to give the critical at-bat to Locastro.
Hicks also could have been an option to serve as a defensive replacement for Cabrera in left field in the ninth inning of Saturday’s Game 3, but remained on the bench. The decision loomed large when Cabrera could not come up with a tough pop-up to shallow left field that sparked the Guardians’ game-winning three-run rally.
Boone said Sunday he didn’t want to use Jonathan Loaisiga for more than the three batters he did in Saturday’s Game 3 defeat because the right-hander had pitched 1 ²/₃ innings over three different innings in Game 2.
“I knew going into [Saturday] I probably had him short, so I was prioritizing [having him face] the top of their lineup,’’ Boone said.
And Loaisiga did face the first three batters in Cleveland’s batting order in the bottom of the seventh, getting Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario before Jose Ramirez reached on an infield hit.
Boone pulled Loaisiga and brought in Peralta to face Josh Naylor and once Peralta got rolling, hoped to finish the game with the left-hander.
“Eventually I had to get him,’’ Boone said of Peralta, who gave up consecutive hits with one out in the bottom of the ninth before Clarke Schmidt came in and lost the game.
“Clarke was the guy,’’ Boone said of the situation. “He’s been in that spot a lot before this year.”
Boone said he hadn’t spoken to Brett Gardner since before the lockout last offseason.
“That’s one of my regrets this year because I owe that to him,’’ Boone said.
He blamed the unusual schedule, since Boone — even though Gardner was a free agent at the time — was prohibited from talking to the outfielder.
The Yankees opted to not bring back the 39-year-old, who played 140 games for them in 2021, finishing with a career-low .689 OPS.
Gardner had offers from other teams in spring training — including the Blue Jays — but decided to stay home.