While the Yankees wait for their starting rotation to get to full health, they got just what they needed from their offense again on Monday night — as well as Nestor Cortes picking up where he left off a year ago.
The Yankees used a five-run fifth inning, two homers and five strong innings from Cortes in an 8-1 rout over the winless Phillies in The Bronx.
Gleyber Torres and Anthony Rizzo both went deep, new arrival Franchy Cordero delivered a two-run double, and the Yankees have scored five or more runs in all four of their games — three of them wins.
They had little trouble pummeling the defending National League champions, who have looked hapless so far this year.
Philadelphia opened the season by being swept by the Rangers in Texas, outscored 29-11.
The Yankees took advantage of some sloppy play by the Phillies in the bottom of the first, with DJ LeMahieu leading off with a rocket to center that was misplayed into a triple by Brandon Marsh, as the ball skipped by him.
Ex-Met Taijuan Walker followed with walks to Aaron Judge and Rizzo to load the bases for Giancarlo Stanton, who grounded out softly to short to score LeMahieu with the game’s first run.
Gleyber Torres then hit a comebacker that Walker couldn’t handle for an RBI infield single to make it 2-0.
After Cordero flied to shallow left for the second out, Aaron Hicks walked to load the bases again, but Jose Trevino grounded out to end the inning.
Torres hit his second opposite-field homer of the young season with two outs in the third for a 3-0 lead. It was the 100th homer of Torres’ career.
A two-out RBI single by Edmundo Sosa cut the Yankees’ lead to 3-1 in the fourth.
Marsh opened the fifth with a double down the right-field line.
With two outs, J.T. Realmuto singled to right and Marsh was held up at third, but Cordero’s throw home sailed well over Trevino, causing Marsh to wander off third — but Cortes backed up the play and alertly fired a strong throw to third to get Marsh for the final out.
Rizzo hit a towering two-run shot, his first homer of the season, in the bottom of the inning off Yunior Marte to give the Yankees a 5-1 lead.
The onslaught continued with a two-run double by Cordero later in the inning.
Right-hander Ian Hamilton took over for Cortes to start the sixth and he pitched a scoreless sixth inning, as the Yankees hope to unearth another solid arm out of the bullpen.
